Batman and Ivy
by Ice-SV3
Summary: A Batman with only half a year's experience under his belt needs someone to work with in his dangerous line of work. Instead of Dick Grayson, he ends up recruiting a woman called "Poison Ivy." Can their partnership last?
1. The Dynamic Duo

Batman and Ivy

Chapter 1: "The Dynamic Duo"

* * *

 **A/N: So, how will an inexperienced Batman and Ivy fare against the pretentious criminals of Gotham City? Some can be much more dangerous than they appear at first glance. Oh, but first…**

* * *

Pamela's eyes flutter open. She's in a hospital. She feels dizzy. Her right side hurts, her wrists hurt, hell, most everything hurts. She thinks she hears whispers, but she pays them no attention. Her head lolls to the side to face her I.V. Feeling thirsty, she reaches for the glass of water on her bedside, but drops the glass, shocked to see her skin is green. Perhaps her vision is just a bit messed up. A doctor enters the room, the shattering glass having attracted her attention.

"Hello. Pamela? I'm Dr. Brown. You've been in a coma for about five months—No, please don't get up—"

"Five months…? What about my thesis on plant-animal hybridization? I-I'm so late… worked so hard… how will I ever…?"

"I… think you've got a little more than just a thesis…. I'm not exactly sure how to tell you this…"

"Just tell me. I just want this to be over with, so I can get back to my studies. I must have missed so much…."

"…You're not exactly human anymore."

The doctor hands Pamela a mirror. Pamela briefly looks at her green skin, then back at the doctor. "That's… just my vision playing tricks on me, right? Like… the voices, those whispers I hear…."

"Yes, you were heavily drugged when we found you. But… that's what you look like now. Whatever or whoever you were running from… you're something else, now."

Pamela doesn't know what to make of the information. She can only think of one thing— "I want to see my Mom and Dad."

/

Warm smoke meets the cold night air. Gordon takes the pipe out of his mouth. "Thank you for coming, Batman."

"What is this?"

"I thought it would be a handy way to draw your attention," Gordon says, gesturing to the spotlight on the roof of the police department. "You do like bats, don't ya?"

Batman takes one last look at the bat silhouette on the spotlight. "Talk to me, Jim."

"I'll get right to the point. We've had a series of murders in the East End District. Three, to be exact. The victims all look like they were torn apart by a large animal, but we haven't had any witnesses to corroborate this yet. So far, we couldn't find any link between the victims. I was hoping you could find one."

Batman goes home to the Batcave. He cross-references the names using the Batcomputer.

"Find anything, Master Bruce?" Alfred asks.

"All three of the victims are from Tampa, Florida."

"Then I suppose Master Bruce will be taking a business trip this weekend?"

"I really hope it doesn't come to that, Alfred. The faster I can solve this mystery, the better."

Alfred sits down. "When I was in the British military, all I could think of was ending the war early. Then, hopefully, there wouldn't be as much killing." Bruce lifts his eyes to meet Alfred's. "But, one day I learned that it's the greatest victories which require the most patience."

/

Pamela instinctively sits up as her mother enters the room. "Mom…! Wait, where's Dad?"

Pamela's mother pulls up a chair to her bed. "He's not here right now, sweetie."

"…Why not?"

"I suppose he was feeling what I'm feeling now—horrified. And he… just couldn't take it. He overdosed three months ago."

Pamela can't believe what she's hearing. After everything she's worked so hard for, how—why—would everything go so wrong?

"I heard you had something of an overdose yourself."

Pamela looks at her mother in shock. "I didn't do this to myself, Mom!"

"But you did! What right do you think you have to mess around with nature? You want to be some kind of mad scientist when you grow up, is that it?" She stops a moment as she tries to find her words. "This is what you get Pamela. This is what you deserve."

"But you always loved plants, Mom. We both do."

"You used to revere nature. You used to care. Why do you think I emphasized taking care of the environment so much? So you could pursue whatever this is? Creating monsters and poisons? You're a freak. I hope you learn your lesson someday." She hastily gets up as tears collect in her eyes.

"Mom…! Don't leave me! Mom!"

\- 3 weeks later -

"I went to Florida to find the connection between your previous murders. And I came back to find you. I came back to tell you that killing is never the answer, no matter what those bullies may have done to you in the past."

Waylon Jones turns around to face Batman. They're at the waterfront, no more than fifty yards from the house of Waylon's next target. "You, Batman, left Gotham City, went all the way to _Florida,_ just for me? Just to **stop** me? Tell me, Batman. Would you have stopped _them_ all those years ago if you coulda?"

"Absolutely."

"I put a stop to them now. And now, I'll put a stop to you. My life's already ruined. I don't need you to ruin it more."

Batman carefully studies the large reptile-man to prepare himself for any attack, but Waylon strikes quickly. He feels the blow before he sees it, now finding himself on his back, staring at the night sky… that is, until Waylon comes into view. Waylon strikes a fist into the asphalt, Batman having avoided his second blow. Batman kicks his legs out from under him. While on the ground, Waylon claws at Batman's chest, shredding his suit and drawing blood. Batman throws a batarang at Waylon's face, then grapples away. Waylon stands up and scans the area for Batman. "That's right! Run away, ya freak!" Waylon is soon knocked over, as Batman slams into him from behind.

/

"You came all the way here, to Virginia, from where, Gotham, New Jersey? For _me?_ Why me?"

"Pollution, depletion of natural resources, deforestation, not to mention these new buildings you built drove poor families out of their homes, onto the streets. Just where does it end, Mr. Daron?"

Mr. Daron backs up to the large windows of the office thirty-plus floors up. In fact, the whole wall is practically made of large windows. "Oh, I get it. You're just one of those angry social worker types. L-look. I can schedule a meeting for you, but not until next week. 'Kay?"

Pamela grabs the man and smashes his body through the window just far enough to keep him from falling. "HELP!"

"You know, my mother said I didn't care. That I stopped caring about nature, about the environment, as soon as I went to college. But I was doing it for her. For myself, too, but I was doing it because I cared. Because I wanted to make a difference **my** way. You think I care if anyone thinks I'm insane for the lengths I go to? Oh, right. My methods are _sooo unnatural, unorthodox."_ She draws him in, close to her face. "You'd better hope you land on a bush on your way down. On second thought, I wouldn't want to kill a perfectly innocent bush."

 _"—We now interrupt this broadcast for this special announcement. After months of rumors and speculation, witnesses now confirm the Batman is in fact real. His last appearance in Gotham City was—get this—He was fighting a giant crocodile man witnesses are dubbing 'Killer Croc.' According to the Batman, this 'Killer Croc' was in fact hunting down the people that tormented him as a child."_

* _"Look at you, dressed up as a bat! Aren't we all freaks, Batman? Aren't we all monsters?"_

 _*"We all have a dark side, a pain in our past, but bloodshed solves nothing, Waylon. Above all else, I do not kill, and I will tolerate nothing less from you or anyone else…"_

"PLEASE! Please, don't kill me!" Mr. Daron cries, as his feet touch the floor again and he sits with his knees in his chest. "I don't wanna die!"

Pamela's attention is fixed on the television. "Maybe we're not all monsters," she says.

* * *

Bruce lies in his bed awake. His head lolls to his left, where he can see the Bat Signal lit from his window. He fights through the pain in his chest and bones to get up and make his way out the door. Alfred is waiting just outside.

"Going somewhere, Master Bruce?"

"Aren't you supposed to be in bed, Alfred?"

"I was going to you the very same question. At almost 3am this morning, you were nearly killed by that horrible crocodile man. You haven't gotten enough rest."

"I know, Alfred. But if I don't go out there, who will? There's only one of me."

"Perhaps the police."

"Or me!" Bruce leans to his side to see him excitedly raise his arm in the air behind Alfred.

"Master Dick, it's past your bedtime," Alfred reprimands him.

"I want to help, Bruce! I could be… Batboy, the Boy Wonder!"

"You're much too young, chum; I'm sorry," Bruce say to him.

"But… please?"

"Perhaps one day, when you grow older. So long as you take proper care of your health, unlike Master Bruce."

"I'm going, Alfred." Bruce turns his attention to Dick. "Alone."

"But Master Bruce, I can't—" Bruce turns and leaves Alfred mid-sentence. Alfred's focus shifts to the boy. "Don't ever grow up to become like Master Bruce, young lad. You'll not enjoy what you become." With that, Alfred puts his hand on Dick's shoulder and escorts him to his room.

* * *

Batman approaches the GCPD rooftop, but a strange figure catches his attention. He elects to move to the shadows and approach from behind, but then—

"Batman…? Is that you?"

 _How could she have possibly known I was here?_

"What did you do to Gordon?" he growls.

The woman adjusts her position to reveal herself to the light. A redhead dressed in green casual clothes, with fair complexion and green eyes that almost glow from behind her mask.

"I did nothing but ask nicely."

"She's right, Batman. I let her up here," Gordon says, appearing from behind the roof access stairwell.

"Well? What's the emergency, Jim?"

"It's no emergency, Batman," Pamela begins, "I just wanted to offer my help. I didn't quite give myself enough time to come up with a costume, so I just chose my favorite color."

"And just who are you?"

"Right. I didn't think of a good hero name, either."

"Who do you think you are? What is it you think I do? Do you have any experience fighting crime, any qualifications?"

"Well, no…"

"May I remind you, Batman, that I once gave you a chance, too?" Gordon asks.

"Look, it's… not about who I am. I honestly don't know who I am anymore. My life ended six months ago when my college professor experimented on me and landed me in the hospital. It destroyed my family and my future; I have nothing left and I need an outlet, or some guidance. I… I don't know what I need. All I know is I saw something good come out of Gotham for the first time, something to give me hope; a Bat-Man. I was just hoping… I just want to…." Pamela suddenly finds herself at a loss for words.

"I'll take it from here, Jim," Batman says to him, Gordon complying with his wish as he heads downstairs.

"…Well…? Batman?"

"The first thing I'll do is train you."

 _"No, the first thing you'll do is get a good night's rest, sir."_

 _Dammit, Alfred._

* * *

Pamela gets a few hours of training with Batman. The way he sees it, he needs to help her as much as she needs to help him.

"I could help you find him, you know."

"It isn't all that important to me. I'm not what he made me."

"If you don't mind me asking, what did he do to you, exactly?"

"Is this all really necessary?" Pamela asks, as she quits kicking the practice dummy in the Batcave.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

"No, I mean all this training. I feel like I'm in school again. Not that I don't love learning—I do, in fact, much more than most of my peers—it's just… I don't think I quite have the patience for, well **anything,** anymore. I just want to move on with my life, push myself to become something better. I don't want to—it _scares_ me to think about my old life, everything I lost."

"I don't understand. Why _can't_ you just go back to your old life? What's stopping you?"

"No, you _don't_ understand." Pamela rubs her arm hard, smearing off the makeup and revealing her green skin. "I have to drown myself in chemicals everyday to look normal. And I think to myself—is it really worth it, all the money I spend on this gunk, all the pollution created when they make this stuff? And—not to mention—the plants. I hear them all the time. I mean, really. It's so distracting. So hard to think straight. You want to know how I _knew_ you were there on the rooftop the other night? I can actually communicate with plants. Control them to some degree. Or, not control them. More like _guide_ them."

"Show me."

Pamela picks a seed out of her new leafy leotard and tosses it at Batman. It sprouts vines and wraps itself around him, restricting his movement.

"That's nice. Now, let me go." The plant releases him and crawls towards Pamela as if it were a spider.

"Alright. If you can beat me in a fight, I'll let you go on a mission with me. BUT, we'll still train afterwards."

"Deal."

Batman opens with a batarang throw, which Pamela promptly dodges, only for it to return and hit her in the back of her head. Batman then charges, but Pamela pulls a vine from her suit that wraps itself around Batman's wrist as he comes in for a strike. Pamela strikes his face, then elbows him. Batman draws her in close, using her vine, then serves her an uppercut, before throwing her to the side, once again using her vine. She releases her vine, then turns her spider-like seedling on him. It begins to wrap itself around him, then he uses a batarang to chop off one of its legs.

"NOOO!" Pamela screams, rushing into a kneeling position before her plant. Batman takes advantage of this and pins her to the ground as the spider-like plant runs away.

"What are you doing? You had the upper hand!"

"How could you do that, Batman? Could you not see how you hurt her?"

Batman releases his hold on her. "You're not ready to go out there, Pamela."

"The hell I'm not! If I can just stop people from making victims out of others like you were so eager to do to my poor _Clematis quadriaranea!"_

"You can't allow yourself to be distracted—"

"Oh, no? Can't allow myself to consider the very lives I want to protect? I'm going out there, Batman. You can either go with me or without me."

"…Have it your way, Pamela."

"It's Ivy. _Poison Ivy."_

* * *

Their first mission together gets a bit messy.

"Ivy, Duck!"

Batman crouches under a pungent yellow liquid, while Ivy just stands in place, allowing herself to be sprayed with a sweet red liquid. Batman turns to her in disbelief. "Why didn't you avoid Mitchell's attack?"

"For goodness sakes, it's literally just ketchup, Batman."

"Aha! You think it's just ketchup! But the **Condiment King** will _blow you away_ with this _sweet shower!"_

Condiment King increases the intensity of his ketchup spray, such that it sends Ivy flying into the wall on the other side of the restaurant.

 **"Always** be prepared for the unexpected," Batman says. "It could have been poison, for all you know!"

"Thanks, I'm immune to poisons, by the way," Ivy responds from across the room.

"And THAT would have been good to know sooner!"

Condiment King sprays his mustard gun in a sweeping motion towards Batman. He avoids the attack, but he knocks several customers out of their chairs, one man's shirt even getting completely torn off under the pressure.

 ** _Smack!_**

Batman's fist proves to be a much more reliable weapon than a mustard gun.

"…Is everyone okay?" Batman hears Ivy ask from the other side of the room.

"Remember Ivy, not everyone is what they seem to be," Batman articulates.

"Noted," Ivy says from thirty feet away in her mess of ketchup.

* * *

Ivy stares up at the bright morning sky. She sees two small birds in a chase. "Hmph. I wish I could fly." One bird appears to be a large bat, while the other appears to be a rocket. "Way to show off, partner. Bats sure do look ridiculous in the day time." She sees several streaks of smoke make their way from the rocket to the bat, followed by explosions soon after.

 _Three, two, one…_

And she hears the booms. "I thought you wanted my help, Batman."

 _"I'll get you a Batglider of your own."_

"Oh, no thanks, dear. Bats aren't really my style. Could you at least lure her over here?"

/

"Hahahaha! No one can stop Roxy! Next thing you know, I'll have my own TV show. And you know what I'm gonna have rerun every day? The time I bested the Batman. Whoo-hoooo!"

"Is that right, Roxy? Is this the best you've got? I bet you can't dive under that railway and loop back up toward the Sundollar on your right."

"Aw, really? We'll have ta see about that!"

Sure enough, Roxy dives under the railway and loops back up, only for Roxy's rocket to get caught by a giant vine.

"Aaaaaaaaahhh!"

She falls off her ride, but a small extension of Ivy's vine comes up to catch her. Roxy grabs the vine and swings around it before it can restrain her, using her momentum to jump to a nearby leaf. She then makes the rest of the way down, leaf by leaf, until she reaches the roof. Batman and Ivy are there waiting for her.

"Don't do it, Roxy," Batman warns. But she raises her gun anyway. "Just put the gun down."

"Challenge accepted, Batman!"

Roxy throws the gun as hard as she can, smacking Ivy in the face with it. Batman prepares to throw a batarang at her, but she backs away towards the ledge.

"Roxy, no!" he yells.

She does a backflip off the ledge with nowhere to go. Batman shoots a line that wraps around her to slow her fall, but just as she reaches the bottom, she cuts Batman's line and takes off running. Ivy walks up behind Batman, clutching her bleeding forehead.

"Still need some help, Batman?"

"What did you have in mind?"

"Give me one of your silly batarangs."

He gives it to her and she wraps a seedling around it.

"Aim for anywhere but the head. Hell, aim for her head. It'll serve her right."

Batman throws the batarang and it promptly ties her up upon hitting her, restraining her in such a way that she can't reach for her knife. Batman then jumps over the ledge himself.

* * *

"Is this the place?"

"Yeah, this is the place. I thought you were an expert."

"I am **the Eraser,"** the man wearing a yellow suit of thin, black, vertical stripes says. "This gun can erase all organic residue in an area the diameter of a number two pencil. And it can just as easily rip a whole in you. Won't affect plant matter, though. Last time I tried erasing evidence from a crime scene, I ripped apart half an office desk. Ha-ha!"

"Alright, **big guy.** Why don't I leave ya alone ta do your job?"

The Eraser takes a look around the museum. "Wait, don't leave. I'm scared."

"Oh, for cryin' out loud. Why don't I just walk ya over to the crime scene?"

"Wait. Someone's here."

"Oh, really? And how do ya know that, _Mr. Eraser?"_

"Because I can spot a blot of blood from a mile away. And someone's cruisin' for a bruisin'. Er… bleedin'." The Eraser takes out his pink gun and shoots two cap-eraser-like projectiles into a dark corner of the museum.

"Batman, look out!" Ivy says as she shields him from the projectiles with her body. They seem to have no effect, so Ivy steps out of the shadows. The Eraser keeps firing at her, which proves ineffective.

"No! It's impossible!" the Eraser says as he sees Batman step out of the shadows after her. "The Batman is working with a Kryptonian partner?" The other guy with him flees the scene, as Batman chases after him. Ivy throws three seedlings on the ground, all of which sprout a set of four root-legs. The Eraser attempts to shoot them with his gun to no effect. Ivy just saunters towards him. "Batman's working with a partner who has horrific Kryptonian plant monsters?

 **"AAAAAAAAHHH!"** he screams.

* * *

Batman keeps his voice hushed. This is the big one.

"Ivy. I need you to follow my instructions very carefully this time around. We're dealing with a very dangerous mob boss here, and he's come to this factory to settle a score with Colonel Gumm. If we mess this up, it could cost him his life. Understand?"

"Got it," Ivy replies with a curt nod.

"We had a gargain, rememger? I keep the feds off your gack, you pay me a percentage up front," a voice echoes from across the stamp factory.

"Why does he talk like that?" Ivy asks as she peers around a cylindrical piece of machinery.

"I'd assume he has trouble pronouncing the letter B while keeping his lips from moving," Batman says.

The man's voice appears not to be coming from a man, but from a puppet sitting in the man's hands. "You don't mean… _that's_ Arnold Wesker?"

"I told you he was a ventriloquist."

"No, you told me he was _the Ventriloquist._ I had no idea he actually—"

"And would you have taken this mission seriously if you had known?"

 ** _CLICK!_**

"The Ventriloquist ain't nobody," a voice behind them says. "Scarface is the brains of the operation."

Batman and Ivy are escorted to the center of the room to join Colonel Gumm, the Ventriloquist and his puppet, Scarface, and four other men, who are all armed with guns.

"So. You're the new groad workin' with Gatman."

"Batman and I aren't afraid of a puppet."

"Ivy! Remember what I told you about Condiment Ki—"

"Who you callin' a puppet?!"

 ** _RATATAT!_**

"Aaaaahh!" Ivy screams as a bullet lodges itself in her shoulder, accompanied by two in her left arm.

"Hey, Mr. Gumm? How comes the Gatman knew we were here tonight?"

"I assure you Scarface, I have absolutely no idea—"

 ** _RATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATAT!_**

"Noooooo!" Ivy screams as Gumm's entire body immediately fills with dark red blots.

"An' how agout you, Gatman? You got any feedgack or you just gonna give us all the silent treatment this evening?"

Ivy trembles as she sees smoke pouring out of her wounds. She examines the floor directly under her.

"She'll need a hospital, Scarface."

"Ha! You kiddin' me here? The groad don't matter. Gut imagine the money the people would pay ta have the mythical Gatman in their grasp. Or mayge I'll just kill ya on live television ta spread fear through my city."

"I'm giving you one. Last. Chance," Batman growls.

"Ohhhh, I'm scared!" Scarface mocks. The lights suddenly switch off. The Ventriloquist finds a batarang stuck in his right wrist and screams in pain. "DUMMY! Why'd ya drop me?" Scarface shouts. "An' who turned out the lights?" They hear a metallic squeak in the distance.

"Ivy. Ivy! Pamela, stay with me!" Batman says as he carries her outside into the dimming orange sunlight.

"I'm going to kill that Ventriloquist if it's the last thing I do!"

"It _will_ be the last thing you do! And we _don't_ kill, remember? You need medical attention, Ivy. I'll handle him."

"I'm sorry, Batman. All I wanted to do was help. I didn't mean to put you in this situation."

Batman lets out a heavy sigh. "You saved my life yesterday, remember? Now, let me save yours."

Ivy lets out a short chuckle. "Yes, I remember. You were almost killed by that man who dressed as a pencil." Batman reaches out to check Ivy's wounds. **"WAIT!** Don't touch my wounds. Look… at the ground." Batman looks down at the asphalt to see it corroding where her blood is dripping. "I'm scared, Batman. W-What am I?" Batman carefully examines her wounds, nonetheless.

"The good news is your blood seems to be clotting extraordinarily fast. The bad news is your blood is also dissolving the bullets, which will still leave too much room for it to flow. I need to get you a transfusion."

Ivy chuckles again. "But my blood is—how will you—"

"The Batmobile is equipped with O-negative in case of emergencies."

They get in the Batmobile and he injects her with the bag of blood. She passes out. Batman quickly checks the medical bay computer.

 _I don't understand. Her body is barely reacting to the allogenic blood. And it's not an autoimmune reaction. It's as if her cells can't properly absorb the nutrients in it…. That's odd. Her lungs are filtering out the oxygen as if it's—_

"Oh, Gaaaaaatman…!"

Scarface shows up with all four of his men. They open fire on the Batmobile. Batman drives off and they quickly board a white Holden EK and drive after him. They continue to fire at the Batmobile as the chase goes on.

"Penny One."

 _"Yes, sir?"_

"Alfred, I'm being chased right now. We have a medical emergency; Pamela's unconscious and losing blood. I need you to pull up the analysis of her skin cells that we took from her earlier. Tell me anything that might be different from a normal human's cells, especially nutrient intake."

Batman makes the mistake of turning onto a busy street filled with traffic—and civilians to put in harm's way.

 _"I'm afraid there would be too much to detail, as her cells are more akin to those of a plant than that of a human's. They also appear to be slightly toxic."_

"That's going to be a problem."

Batman veers back into a less populated area as he tries to think of another route to get Ivy safely back to the Batcave, while also being preoccupied with finding a way to make up for her blood loss.

"Alfred, go into the gardening closet and get the fertilizer. Be sure to infuse it with plenty of carbon dioxide."

 _"Sir? Are you suggesting I inject **fertilizer** into Miss Isley's circulatory system?"_

"Just do it, Alfred."

 _"Very well, Master Bruce."_

Batman turns down an alley and drops a smoke bomb. He then ejects from the Batmobile and grapples the Ventriloquist's Holden EK, making a distinctive thud.

"Ey. You dopes hear somethin'?" Scarface asks.

Two of his men turn to face the back window. "That's Batman! He's right behind us!"

"Not for long," Scarface says, as he faces the back and starts shooting out the rear window. Batman lets go of his grapple to dodge their fire. Now that the rear window is shattered to pieces, he throws a batarang that he hopes will hit the driver—it does, as their car soon crashes into the alley wall. Batman struggles to land safely with one of his glider's wings half-ripped to shreds. He bounces off a fire escape, then falls three stories. His suit provides some protection from the impact, but he's in no fighting condition. He sees the smoking wreckage of the Holden EK and lobs a canister of knockout gas in their direction. He then takes a moment—if only a brief one—to catch his breath before making his way over.

* * *

Batman arrives in the Batcave using the Batwing. Pamela looks up at him from her chair. Her left arm is in a sling.

"Did Alfred tell you what he put in my body?"

"Actually, I told _him,"_ Batman responds.

"Well, honestly, it's pretty disgusting."

"It saved your life."

Pamela looks down at the floor in shame. "I'm sorry about today, Batman. I know that man died because of me."

"It wasn't your fault, Pamela."

"Then whose was it?"

Batman takes a seat himself. "It was mine. You got shot because you underestimated the Ventriloquist. _He_ got shot because _I_ underestimated him. Gumm triggered a silent alarm, but it's because we got caught—it's because I didn't prepare well enough, check my surroundings— **that's** what put all three of us in danger." He finishes by putting his head in his hand. Pamela is unsure what to make of her new mentor's self-deprecation. He suddenly stands up and starts to wander off.

"Batman…"

"AAAAAAH!"

He suddenly throws everything off one of the desks. He gives the now-barren desk two good punches before leaning against it for support.

"Batman." He turns his head at her from his hunched-over position. "I still trust your judgement. Maybe more than mine. I need to learn to be better. Even if it scares me. The voices I hear. Every time I go outside. It's almost winter. They're dying. I'm afraid to go outside, to be honest. But I don't want to be. But to me, it's worth it if you're there with me, because I know I'm making a difference. I want you to train me, Batman."

\- End Chapter 1 -


	2. What a Curious Feeling

Batman and Ivy

Chapter 2: "What a Curious Feeling"

* * *

 **A/N: To: Joseph Vowels: This is a Year One AU. It is not a romance, but I'm glad you enjoy. :D**

 **EDIT: This story used to be updated in the Fan Creations section of the DC Universe Community, but I stopped updating it over there past Chapter 5. I don't think they're the right audience for fanfics with chapters that are this long lol.**

* * *

Batman leaves Poison Ivy and walks across the Batcave. "What the hell, Alfred?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Why does she know your name?"

"Master Bruce, my job is to serve you and keep you safe. NOT to lie for you. She knows my name, but I do not show her my face."

"I have a _mission,_ Alfred. People's _lives_ depend on me. But every time I have to leave and you're too **scared** to provide my alibi, **you're** putting those lives in danger."

"Five months ago, Bruce Wayne was nowhere to be found on the face of the Earth. And for six years, you were presumed dead. Within less than a month, you made yourself the most hated businessman in the state because everything you do is solely for the purpose of covering up your act. You care nothing of your reputation or your family name. I know you, Bruce. This isn't you. The boy I once knew cared immensely about his family—"

 **"YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT, I CARE!"** Batman's shout echoes across the Batcave, drawing Ivy's attention. He lowers his voice again. "I trained six years to become Batman, _not_ to make money. My parents **died** because of one desperate man's greed. I would rather have my parents' lives than their legacy."

"Sometimes, you're not given a choice," Alfred mutters to him.

Batman begins walking away from Alfred to check up on Ivy.

\- 1 week ago -

"Ladies. Gentlemen. **Friends.** I think we all know the secret to happiness is investment. It's an investment in one's time and resources, to make the best with what we are given. But above all, it's an investment in one's self. How one views oneself is paramount. It's all in the mind," he says, accentuating each of the last three words by tapping his hat with his finger. "Contentedness and self-worth lead to confidence. With confidence…"

The conference room door busts open. "Sorry I'm late."

"Geez, Wayne. Why do you reek of mustard? The hell were you doing?" the man closest to him asks.

"As I was _going_ to say before Mr. Wayne so **rudely** interrupted, it is with confidence that we become the types of leaders that can set **an example** for those around us."

"With all due respect, Mr. Tetch," Bruce begins, "I don't tolerate guns or drugs."

Jervis Tetch stands on his chair to gain height over Bruce from across the room. "I do not sell drugs, Mr. Wayne. I am a well-respected neuroscientist who believes everyone has the right to lead happy, healthy lives. Some people live their whole lives feeling miserable no matter how productive or wealthy or healthy they are. Because why? Because they're sick people who need help. _I'm_ offering that help. It's not wrong. It's not forced. Anytime you think you don't need it, you simply take off the hat."

Bruce shifts his attention to someone else. "Mrs. Jones, please…"

"I am sorry, Mr. Wayne," she says. "But you were late to this meeting and therefore, you do not have all the necessary information to make a decision. Now, I believe—and correct me if I'm wrong—that we're all on board here with Mr. Tetch's Idea?"

She is met with a brief, unanimous cacophony of murmurs indicating agreement.

"Mr. Tetch," Bruce again speaks, "It has come to my attention that you've been working on this project for nine months, **fully** aware of your technology's ability to impair the judgement of its users. I _don't_ want you working for my company anymore."

"Bruce, you can't do this!" Mrs. Jones asserts.

"No, no. Mrs. Jones. He's the brass hat. Mr. Wayne may not act with decorum, but I most certainly can."

Discordant grumblings fill the room.

"This is your problem, _Bruce,"_ Mrs. Jones says. "You think you can make all the decisions by yourself just because it's your name on the company's paychecks. But even a crooked politician has allies to back him up. I believe it's obvious your heart is not in this company."

\- Now -

Ivy walks into the sunshine from atop the steps of Gotham Academy. She looks over her shoulder before confusedly scurrying back out of sight.

"Batman."

"I don't do speeches."

"I figured just because my arm is broken doesn't mean we can't be out here making a difference, giving the people hope, something to believe in. The public knows you're real now. They deserve to know what you do for them. They deserve guidance. Just like you give to me."

Ivy steps back into the sunlight, welcoming its warmth. Wanting to make a good impression, she quickly adjusts her mask to make sure it's perfect.

"Hi. I'm Poison Ivy. I'm a bit new here as an agent of justice, but Gotham City is very much my home. And I'd like to introduce—someone I'm sure you're all much more familiar with—"

"I'm Batman."

The crowd explodes in cheerfulness at those two simple words.

"I'm very lucky to have Batman as my mentor. I'm very lucky to be able to serve this city the way he does. But I want—no, I _need—_ all of you to know that each and every single one of you is just as important to this city's wellbeing as the two of us. The police, the firefighters, your teachers and your parents all have an important role to play. And I think Batman—" She looks over her shoulder to see that he's gone.

 _Seriously, Batman?_

"Uhh…" Ivy nervously says.

"Why are you called Poison Ivy? What kinda superhero name is that?"

"That's a **very good question.** I'm glad you asked. See, I believe that every little thing we do affects the grand scheme of things. It's just as important that we take care of our planet as we do our city. Because if we don't conserve nature, one day, it will all become poison. And it's a lesson I'd like everyone to remember."

/

"He fired you? Just like that?" Connie says above the crowd's applause. "Jervis? Are you still there?"

"Oh, look at her, Connie. She's perfect. She's just as I remember."

Connie sighs. "I'll admit she _is_ something. Heck, even _I'd_ date her, and I'm not even gay." Jervis gives Connie a blank look. "Look, Jervis. You have to stop this. She's not Alice. Look, she's not even a blond!"

Jervis stares absentmindedly at Ivy with the dopiest grin on his face. "I would recognize my Alice's love for nature anywhere. And the way she always makes the world seem so… _supernatural, wonderful!_ Like a dream. A Wonderland."

"Jervis…"

"WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS TRYING TO KEEP ME FROM MY ALICE?! I lost my job, my _everything!_ Why won't the world just let me be happy?" With that, he slaps a hat onto her head. "Connie, Connie, Connie. You… are my _best friend._ But I do believe it's time we took a walk…."

* * *

The next day, Batman comes to Pamela, who is in the Batcave looking through online articles.

"Pamela. I realize that your powers may be overwhelming to you, making it hard to focus at times. Superman once told me he had the same problem when his super hearing was just developing. Until you're ready to go back to college, you're more than welcome to use my lab here in the Batcave to help with your studies. There are enough sun lamps to keep both you and your specimens healthy."

He hears no response from her. He comes to her side to see her head drooping. Her eyes are shiny, but she refuses to let her tears fall. The articles on the screen.

'Poison Ivy: Gotham's Hottest New Heroine.' 'Poison Ivy: Smart and Pretty.' 'Poison Ivy: Angel from Heaven?'

He reads the headlines and he knows. The moment he came back to Gotham, he was the talk of the city. He partied hard, he had fun, if only on the outside. He had all the women, all the booze… all the attention. Before he tanked his reputation, all the women wanted to get to know him better. Because he was stylish. Because he was sexy. But no one knew the real Bruce Wayne. No one cared. He didn't let them care. For a while, it worked. It helped keep his cover. But where it worked to Bruce's advantage, to Pamela…

"They didn't listen to a word I said. I can't find a single article online that even _mentions_ any of the points I made in my speech. They don't care…"

"I'm sorry, Pamela."

"A lot of people make speeches, Batman. But what does anyone get out of it? Some renewed interest would have been great, but… nobody cared. Isn't there anything we can do to force people to take action?!"

"We only use _force_ on criminals."

"They ARE criminals! They're indifference is killing the planet!"

"Patience, Pamela."

"Batman, I would do anything to save a life to make the world a better place. I would take measures beyond what no other human being would ever be willing to do. But I've been patient my entire life. And then that very same life was taken from me before I could ever see it coming. I don't have any patience left to give. After going through college and becoming some lunatic's LAB EXPERIMENT before I could even get my degree…! I can't just sit on my laurels, Batman! If I can't make a difference, what was it all for?"

The tears suspended in her eyes finally cascade down her face.

"Even if you change the mind of just one person, you _are_ making a difference, Pamela."

There is a silence that hangs in the air. Pamela turns her chair to face Batman. "Why me?" she asks.

Bruce thinks back to his parents' death. How they were taken from him. How unprepared he was.

 _Why me?_

Bruce can't answer the question for himself, either.

* * *

Jervis peers across the river, past Connie's blank face. "I'm sorry, Connie. You were such a good friend to me. But you shouldn't have kept me from my Alice all these years." Jervis puts his hands on her shoulders. "I want you to dive into the river, until you reach the bottom. And even as your shrieking lungs starve for air, you… shall… not… surface."

A tear streaks down his face as he watches her dive in. He sees but a hat reach the surface.

"Fairfarren, Connie." He sets own hat upon the riverbank then turns away. The setting sun shines its last upon the hat.

/

"Even a crooked politician has allies to back him up," Mrs. Jones's words echo in Jervis's head. But he's all alone. He let go of his last friend, his **best** friend.

He is pulled from his thoughts as two fat men sit down on the barstools on either side of him. They order the same drink: absinthe-orange on the rocks. He looks at one of them and then the other. He stretches his hand out, such that he can only see one of their heads, but not the hair. He then does the same with the other.

"Are you two twins?" Jervis asks.

"Actually, we're cousins," one of them says.

"But we stick together," the other one says.

"Have ta. It's da only way ta afford livin'," the first one says.

"Well, hel-lo, Tweedles. Have I got a job for you," Jervis lets out with a smirk.

/

Fresh out of the barber's shop with shaved heads, the Tweedles join Jervis in a trip to Gotham Zoo. Jervis thinks back to Ivy's inspiring speech about never giving up your dreams, her story about how she became Batman's partner.

 _That's my Alice. "Six impossible things before breakfast."_

"I'm sorry, sir. But it's $17.95 to get through the gate."

"Stuff and nonsense," Jervis says as one of the Tweedles put a hat on the booth worker.

With a hat on everyone's head and a head under everyone's hat, Jervis Tetch, the MAD HATTER, soon has a myriad of civilians under his control. And now, to liberate the animals—

"Just as Alice would want." Hatter kneels beside a tiger's cage. "Who did this to you? Who put you in these awful cages?" The tiger just looks at him. "They can't even speak!" Hatter exclaims to the Tweedles, or perhaps no one in particular. "They've treated you all most terribly, haven't they?" Hatter stands again. "Tweedledee?"

"Yes, Hatter?" Tweedledee responds.

"I want these animals free. And be sure to put these collars on them. They're my own special collars."

"Did ya want dem free?" a Tweedle asks.

"Or did ya want dem with collars?" the other asks.

"BOTH, you **dummies!"**

\- One and a half weeks later -

Gordon stares up at the bright light in the night sky. _His light._ As simple as the Bat Signal's design is, he thought on the design for a good three weeks. And he's proud of it. Still is. The only thing that can distract him from his pride is—

"Hello, Commissioner!" a friendly voice sings from just behind Gordon's ear. He looks to his right to see Batman and Ivy.

"Batman. Poison Ivy. Thank you for coming."

"Wha—? He didn't even flinch," Ivy says with disappointment.

"Ivy," Batman says.

"What? You can do it, but I can't?"

"What was so important that you needed both of us? Ivy's still recovering from her injuries."

"You training her good?"

"She still has a long way to go. I wouldn't have recruited her were she not a metahuman. This is dangerous work, Jim."

"Tell me about it. People from all over the city have been going missing for one and a half weeks, including a large number of children. Turns out they were all being held at the Gotham Zoo."

"Then why haven't they been found until now?" Ivy asks.

 _"That's_ the billion-dollar question. You ask me, I think this _Mad Hatter_ has some sort of pull in our headquarters."

 _"Mad Hatter?"_ Batman asks.

"Yeah, and he'd like to meet you." Batman and Ivy are suddenly knocked out by police officers behind them. "Sorry, Batman. Time to go down the rabbit hole."

* * *

Her vision is blurred, but the blackness goes away. Her head screams to her in pain, unlike her arm, which is nearly healed already.

"You're Jervis Tetch, aren't you?" a voice says.

"Yes…. But who. Are. You?" Hatter turns away from Batman to see Ivy awakening. "Come now, Alice. We mustn't be late for tea."

Gordon carries her to her seat. She looks at the cup, then at Batman. "Don't worry, Batman. It's not like he'll _poison_ me," she says with a wink.

"Be careful, Ivy."

Ivy nods. She nervously brings the cup to her lips and drinks. Nothing happens.

"Very well, then. Alice, there's something I would like to show you."

"N-not that arm!" Ivy exclaims, as Hatter reaches for her left arm. "You see… I injured it by fighting a deranged man with a cartoonish gimmick who thought he could control people," she says with a sly smile.

"Ivy…," Batman warns.

"Well, let's be glad there's no one like that around here," Hatter replies.

'Sorry,' Ivy mouths to Batman.

"Come now, dear Alice. Or I'll kill your friend with the pointy ears," Hatter says as he leads her away.

"I think you're mistaking me for someone else," Ivy responds.

As the Mad Hatter leads her deeper into the woods, she hears a shrieking that grows louder and louder, until suddenly…. Her heart starts racing at full speed. Hatter leads her to a cute, fluffy rabbit… EATING GRASS. Her connection to the Green leaves her vulnerable to their suffering. She trembles and she starts to feel sick.

"What troubles you Alice? You seem gravely ill."

She hunches over and simultaneously holds both her throat and her stomach. Her speech comes out raggedy. "I'm not—I-I don't…"

"I understand, Alice, that you may not remember me." Hatter sighs and hangs his head. "You never remember me. But I can change that. I can make you remember. I can make you happy again."

"…How?"

"The best way to explain it… is to do it, my dear," he says as he places a hat on her head, to which is attached a blond wig.

/

Batman remains seated at the table. He can see about fifty people around him who are being controlled by the Mad Hatter's hats. A few of them are also at the table with him, including his friend, Gordon. He cuts the ropes restraining him with a batarang, careful not to attract any attention. Gordon has to be first. He has a gun. He has the means necessary to defend himself and others. Batman quickly stands, then fans out three quick batarangs, knocking off one hat with each of them.

"Gordon! You two! With me!" he shouts as he rolls across the table, using two more batarangs to knock off more hats. "You two, here, quick!"

"They're not wearing hats," a child says.

"That's a big no-no," another child says.

The other forty-five-or-so people gather to fight the others. But that's when Batman hears her voice.

"Batman?! What are you doing with the children?!" Poison Ivy. Wearing a hat (And a blond wig?). In a zoo. _With lots of grass and trees._ Just perfect.

Batman rushes towards Ivy to separate himself from the rest of the group. She throws four seeds in his direction, all of which sprout root-like legs and approach him speedily. One of them jumps at him. He catches it, swings his body in a 360-degree circle, and launches it back at Ivy. She catches it herself. The grass comes alive under Batman's feet and knocks him over. The other three creatures are no more than five feet away. Batman throws a batarang at Ivy's hat, but she catches it, drawing blood from her right hand. She doesn't seem to notice. Being under the Mad Hatter's control makes her impervious to pain. Batman rolls to avoid Ivy's creatures and quickly stands up. Ivy reaches out her arm, and the trees above them start to bend their branches towards him. He thinks back to the last time Ivy had the upper hand against him in a fight. He quickly bends down and rips some grass out of the ground. But under the Mad Hatter's control, even that doesn't affect her. The thick branches wrap around him and start to squeeze. He screams in pain, drawing the attention of Gordon. Gordon realizes the urgency of the situation. He takes little extra time to aim, but he must be sure to hit his mark. He fires, dropping the hat off Ivy's head. Ivy immediately notices the pain in her hand, then looks up to see Batman's predicament.

"Batman?" she asks with surprise as he releases him. "What…?"

"No time, Ivy! The Mad Hatter's victims are over there trying to kill each other! We have to stop this before innocent people get hurt!"

Ivy reaches an arm out, and the grass under them comes alive, knocking some of them over, along with their hats. But some of them keep their balance. Some of them continue to fight. It's not over yet.

"Do cats eat bats, I wonder?"

They turn to see a collared tiger run towards Batman. Ivy reaches her hand out—

"No, Ivy. Get Jervis before he gets away!"

"But—"

"And **don't** let him hat you again."

The tiger leaps at him. Batman drops onto his back and uses his feet to propel the tiger behind him as he rolls backward to face the tiger again. Ivy hesitates, but she trusts Batman and runs after Hatter.

"Jervis…! Jervis…! You need to stop this! We don't want to hurt you. You need to stop this."

"I can't stop, Alice. It's you and me. A dream come true. Will you? Won't you? Will you? Won't you? Will you join the dance?"

"It has to stop. This isn't a dream. This isn't a storybook."

"If ever there were a more perfect word than 'love', it would be _your_ name, Alice."

/

It was thirty years ago. A young Jervis Tetch ran quickly to Alice's house.

"Alice, Alice! I finished a book this weekend! A **wonderful** book! Actually, two! They were about **you,** Alice!"

But it wasn't Alice who opened the door; it was a police officer.

/

"A perfect girl like you…. I could _never_ imagine you would be in trouble with the police."

"Then what happened?" Ivy asks.

"I don't remember," Hatter grumbles.

Hatter gasps and looks behind Ivy. She follows his gaze to see Batman quickly approaching. When she turns back, Hatter is already running away.

"Ivy! Don't let him get away!"

She runs ahead of Batman. But her run is cut short when she trips and falls over a wire. Batman momentarily stops.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes. Go get him!"

Batman runs into the dark woods, with Ivy soon following.

/

"Don't struggle, son! Stop struggling!" Gordon cries out as they free the last of the Mad Hatter's victims. A teenaged boy holds tightly to his hat, and it takes three of them to pry it off. Then, they all go silent. Fourteen of them have injuries, three of whom are severely injured, and one of whom is on the ground unconscious. Gordon calls for an ambulance. But he doesn't know how reliable police backup may be. He can't go off to help Batman and Ivy. He has to stay with the victims.

Not long after an ambulance arrives, a young woman comes onto the scene.

"Jervis. I need to find Jervis Tetch."

"And you are?" Gordon asks.

"Connie Littleton."

/

Batman keeps his sights trained on Hatter as he chases him. Hatter disappears after running up a hill. Batman crosses a stream and enters an area of the woods with large rocks. An immensely bright light shines upon Batman from behind. He turns toward the light and shields his eyes from it, trying to see what might be coming. Instead, he just sees Ivy, who was following behind him.

"Batman!" she cries.

Batman suddenly feels hands pull off his cowl as his identity is exposed to Ivy. And in that quick moment that seems to last an eternity, Ivy is reminded of the irresponsible playboy who failed to show up to the rainforest benefit he was sponsoring. The same jerk that everyone knows to hate is somehow her mentor, her role model, her _hero._

Before the Mad Hatter can put a hat on Bruce's head with his now-outstretched hands, Bruce elbows him in the face and grabs his arm, thrusting him onto the ground. He puts his boot over Hatter's face as he puts his cowl back on.

"Ivy… I can explain…."

Ivy suddenly finds her air supply cut off as a Tweedle comes at her from behind and places a chloroformed handkerchief over her face. The drug has no effect on her, but his large figure comes with strength to match. Still, it proves to be a mere inconvenience, as the tree branches are stronger than him and quickly throw him into another tree.

"Get off me, you freak," she says to him.

Batman takes his boot off the Mad Hatter's face. "It's over, Jervis."

"Batman," Ivy says as she looks at the Tweedle who is struggling to get up. "The characters in Alice Through the Looking Glass. Tweedledee and Tweedledum."

"There's two of them," Batman agrees. Even just a glimpse is enough to save him from the machine gun fire that erupts from the other side of the woods. Ivy backs away from the line of fire and finds herself facing the other Tweedle.

"Had enough?" she says to him. She's convinced she has her answer when he runs away.

Meanwhile, Batman makes his way towards the machine gun turret unseen as the Tweedle continues to fire on Batman's last known position. Batman nearly mistakes him for a simpleton, before he notices that the entire area surrounding the turret is covered in tripwires. Nonetheless, Batman comes up behind him and knocks him out. Batman makes his way back to the stream to find Hatter, but finds Ivy instead, who seems rather unhappy to see him. He chooses to address the Mad Hatter rather than Ivy.

"It's over, Jervis!" he shouts into the woods.

 ** _CLICK!_**

"I don't think so, Batman." Hatter comes out from behind a tree and points a gun at Batman. "Now hand over Alice before things start to get **ugly."**

Batman puts his hands up and bends down to the stream below him. "He's not your Alice, Jervis!" Batman takes water from the stream and splashes Ivy with it, revealing her green skin under the makeup.

"Dammit, Batman!" Ivy shouts with anger.

"No…. No, no, NO NO NO!" Hatter grumbles. "This is some sort of a cheap trick. Don't you lie to me, Batman."

The Mad Hatter sees two other people approaching. "Don't come any closer, whoever you are!" he warns.

"Jervis, it's me, Connie." one of them says (the other is Commissioner Gordon).

"C-Connie?" Hatter slowly makes his way toward them while keeping his gun trained on Batman. "Connie, I'm in the middle of something important here. Don't you dare take my Alice away from me again."

"Jervis, don't you know? Alice is dead. You went to her funeral thirty years ago. She's dead and she's never coming back."

"No. No, no. If she's not alive, how are you alive? I sent you to your death in the river!"

"As soon as I dove underwater, the hat came off, Jervis, and I swam to the surface. Alice is dead, and you need help. Please, you're not a killer."

 **"LLLLIEEEEESSSS!** THE TRUTH! I want the truth for ONCE!"

"It's true, Jervis." Ivy says. She looks at her right hand, which she hadn't noticed is already healed. She picks up a sharp rock and slowly approaches the Mad Hatter. She cuts her hand with it, showing him her green, toxic blood.

"N-no! It's not possible! Alice… my Alice…. Gone?" He drops his gun and falls to his knees. His jaw drops in utter shock and his eyes start to get the slightest bit shiny. He places a hand on the ground, as if his knees aren't enough to hold him up. He sputters random Alice quotes as his words gradually become incoherent, until he finds himself on his side, rolled up in a ball, crying profusely.

Batman looks at the crying man with pity—How could he not? They both lost someone when they were young. But he remembers that the Mad Hatter is a kidnaper, willing to kill. As Batman, Bruce Wayne **saves** lives. And that has to be enough…. No, it could never be enough.

* * *

Snow falls outside the Wayne mansion. But inside, near the fireplace, is it ever so warm.

"You can't tell anyone who I am."

"Really! Don't insult my intelligence, Mr. Wayne."

"It's Bruce."

"I don't need a reminder. I can accept that you don't always have time to be Bruce Wayne **and** Batman. But I can't accept how incompetent you've made yourself by trying to keep your secret. Oh, and what a great job you did at that!"

"Touché."

"I'm _serious,_ Bruce. Something has to change."

Bruce nods at Pamela's sling. She gingerly takes her arm out of the sling and stretches it.

"How's it feel?"

"Pretty good after just a week and a half."

Pamela stares blankly at the fireplace.

"Of all the people who listened to my speech, **Jervis Tetch** was the only one to took it to heart. You can't believe how frustrating that is. I wish I could just make people take responsibility. But you were right. If the Mad Hatter is any indication, no one takes kindly to a control freak."

"It's alright to be frustrated. I was frustrated once, too. I went after my parents' killer."

"…Did you kill him?"

"Almost. I really wanted to."

Bruce begins to lean in toward Pamela. Maybe she felt a spark between her and Batman, but she certainly **does not** feel that way towards _Bruce Wayne._

"Wait… Bruce, no. Stop!"

He doesn't seem to hear her objection. **Perhaps he doesn't.** He kisses her, then promptly receives a slap in the face.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You men are all the same!" Pamela storms out of the room and slams the door.

 _What the hell just happened to me?_

Bruce's question demands more answers as his chest starts to scream in pain. As his fingertips begin to tingle. As his vision starts to blur. As his balance starts to—

 ** _THUMP!_**

\- End Chapter 2 -


	3. And We Will All Laugh Again

Batman and Ivy

Chapter 3: "…And We Will All Laugh Again"

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for all the reviews and faves! This is looking like quite the successful project so far!**

* * *

Pamela is driving home from the Wayne Mansion. She can't get the episode out of her head. First the Mad Hatter, then Bruce Wayne. It's as if men can't help but throw themselves at her for some reason. It doesn't help the fact that she's driving in the middle of a blizzard, the naked trees bemoaning their annual friends that have reached the end of their life cycle. Yet amid Pamela's disquiet arises another problem as Alfred gives her a call.

 _"Miss Isley! Bruce needs you, now!"_

"Tell him he can do whatever the hell he wants all by himself."

 _"Please. It's an emergency."_

/

Pamela returns to the mansion with a pace that matches her anger.

"He's been poisoned, Miss Isley."

"No. Alfred. I was just with Bruce no more than ten minutes ago. He did not simply get poisoned."

"That explains the lipstick," Alfred says, gesturing towards Bruce's limp body.

Pamela knows what happened now. And she hates him even more for it.

"You and he…?" Alfred begins.

"No. Turns out Bruce Wayne is just a bigger jerk than I ever would have thought. He got what he deserved."

"Miss Isley!" Alfred gasps.

"Don't worry; I'll save him."

She works quickly to find a cure. The Batcomputer proves to be a great help, but to her surprise, it detects at least nine varieties of poison in Bruce's system.

"No, he couldn't have gotten all these poisons from just one kiss. It's not like I drink poisons just because I can. I swear, Alfred!"

"Then perhaps you are somehow _creating_ these chemicals."

"I don't know. I… just thought saving the world with Batman would make everything better. But somehow, things keep getting worse."

\- Gotham Opera House, 29 hours later -

"…and then… I had my son back. It was a miracle. And I will never forget the time I had almost lost my son to an internet scam. Because being safe online is about more than just having an anti-virus program. I want to thank all of you for coming here today. And I would like to give my sincere thanks to Mr. Valentino for lending me this locale."

The audience applauds Miyazaki's speech. But somebody starts using a bullhorn to boo at him. The voice is joined by similar bullhorned boos.

"What is the meaning of this?" Mr. Miyazaki asks.

"You really should lighten up," the man says as he approaches the stage in the middle of the field. "Security really is such a joke."

Suddenly, a bomb explodes in the stadium, the fireball itself enveloping about thirty seats. The people start to panic and run, but are kept from leaving by masked clowns guarding every exit.

"See what I mean? One bomb and everyone's sense of security is fractured." He points the trigger at the audience once again, stirring more panic, but he does not activate it. "I have three more bombs just like that one in this stadium. Please, Mr. Miyazaki. Tell your story again. I sort of tuned it out the first time. You see… you're just not telling it funny enough. And that's exactly how I was able to get past security. Because people don't heed the advice of boring people like you!"

/

Bruce descends the main stairs of the mansion at a slightly quickened pace.

"Master Bruce, you mustn't push yourself too hard. You need to rest," Alfred insists.

"I need to know what I missed in the last 29 hours," Bruce rebuts. He is surprised to see Pamela waiting at the bottom of the stairs.

"How long have you been up and about?" she asks with venom in her voice.

"Thirty minutes." He pauses before continuing down the stairs. "Pamela, about last night—"

"Save it," Pamela responds. She hears Bruce's pager go off. "Is that what I think it is?"

"The Bat-Signal. Alfred, can you get me my—"

"As much as I **hate** your guts right now, Bruce Wayne, you can't go out there after you've just been poisoned. I'll go," she says.

"If I remember correctly, your arm was fractured not too long ago," Bruce responds.

"Perhaps we should let the police handle this?" Alfred suggests.

The two of them glare at him as if he'd they'd just found out he secretly steals food from children.

"Very well," Alfred says with a sigh.

/

"And then… my son thought he was getting a tower with an eighth-generation processor, but it was just a hollow box? Ha ha?"

The Joker stares at Mr. Miyazaki in disappointment. "Did you know that most people have an adverse reaction to killing?"

"Um, yes?"

"Well, good! Because now, you know TWICE over! Ha ha ha ha! So, if you can't get your audience laughing in the next TEN seconds, _somebody's_ going to _die!_ What do you think of that, Chuckles?"

"No, PLEASE!"

"1, 2…," Joker begins.

"Oatmeal?"

Joker scans the audience for laughter and hears none. "You know, I don't think half your audience even knows what that means. **I** don't know what it means. And if you have to explain a joke… WELL, THEN IT'S NO JOKE AT ALL!"

"But they're too scared to laugh!"

Joker shoots into the audience, prompting immediate screaming.

 ** _SMASH!_**

Glass shatters, followed by Batman dropping down from a cable, and Ivy from a vine. Two masked clowns close in and take aim at them.

"Joker! How did you escape from Arkham?" Batman demands.

"Ha ha HA! That's a _good_ one, Batsy! Hm, why don't you just come over here and I'll tell you all about it?"

Joker raises his own gun and opens fire on them. "HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Smoke erupts where Batman and Ivy were standing, followed by the screams of the two clown gunmen. The other clowns approach the stage, leaving room for the audience to escape. Batarangs fly out of the smoke, hitting a few of the gunmen in their heads. Vines from outside slither across the ceiling until they reach the far side of the room and bust the wall open, allowing people to escape quicker. Seeds are scattered near Joker's feet as the smoke clears. Joker looks up to see they were thrown by Poison Ivy.

"You see, when I draw attention, **Batman's** supposed to answer the call. He's the Moriarty to my _genius,_ after all. What the hell does that make you?"

Two of the seeds sprout a thorny vine, each of which wrap around Joker and make him fall backward. Joker tries to wiggle his way out, but to no avail.

"You know, the more you struggle, the more the thorns will dig into your skin. Now, I have a question for _you._ Where are the rest of the bombs?"

"Ivy, look out!" Batman shouts.

But the gunman who was about to shoot her suddenly finds himself pounced on by one of Ivy's spider-like plant creatures. Ivy directs her eyes to Joker's, while Joker finds himself lost in a trance.

"One is on the east side of the balcony, inside the ficus pot. The second is above us, attached to the drawstring. And the last is in one of the trash cans near the exit."

"Batman?" Ivy prompts.

"On it," he says, as he grapples to the bomb above them.

Ivy backs away from the Joker to assess the situation and sees that all the henchmen are out cold, but one. The last henchman slams Ivy's _Clematis quadriaranea_ into a wall, crushing it to death.

"NOO!" Ivy screams, sprinting at the gunman before slamming him into the wall just the same. The two vines release Joker and slither towards Ivy to help her.

"Now THAT is funny," Joker says to himself before slinking away.

Ivy takes down the last gunman and Batman comes to her, finished with the bombs.

"Where's Joker?" he asks her.

* * *

No more than an hour after she unpacked from her mission, Bruce calls Pamela to the mansion again.

"This better not be a booty call, Mr. Wayne."

"Sit down. There's something I need to tell you."

"I would rather stand."

Bruce leads Pamela to the Batcomputer. "There were other chemicals Alfred found in my body besides those you tested for in my mouth." Bruce pulls up the data.

"These are pheromones," Pamela replies.

"Almost two weeks ago, when you gave that speech at Gotham Academy…"

"You're saying this is my fault."

"It's not like that. When Joker told you where he hid the bombs, I saw the look on his face. He wasn't afraid of you; he was entranced. I think if you can find a way to control this—"

"How is this my fault?! I'm not trying to do any of this. I feel like I'm cursed! _Please_ tell me I'm cursed. That this isn't real. That I can just wish it all away."

"You know that I can't."

"No! I can fix this! I have to tell everyone what happened. But… then what? I… can still be a hero, right?"

Bruce puts his hand on her shoulder, causing her to flinch at the unexpected contact.

"Sorry. I'm not big on public appearances as Batman. But if you want me to be there—"

"No. This is my responsibility. But. Thank you."

* * *

A television turns on. The channels keep changing until it stops on the news.

 _"Hi. I'm Poison Ivy. This is an important announcement that I have to make. I'm sorry that I couldn't make it in person, but it's important that I don't. All I've ever wanted to do was change the world, make it better. But I don't know how to do that. There are too many things that I don't understand, that I can't control."_

 _Ivy takes a makeup removing pad and rubs her cheek under her mask, revealing the true color of her flesh._

 _"The woman you saw twelve days ago at the Gotham Academy was no more than an illusion. I don't know what I am or what I'm doing. And… I'm toxic. I'm **poison.** And sometimes my body releases pheromones and I don't know how. I've gotten a lot of attention in the past twelve days, and not in the right way. But now you know why. It's not your fault. It's mine."_

"They hate me now, don't they?"

"I can assure you they do not hate you Miss Isley. And for those that do, may they never be given the time of day." Alfred asserts.

"I don't even know why I'm here, Alfred. I should be alone."

"You're here because you don't deserve to be alone. Master Bruce may have lost his parents, but he never has to be alone. And neither do you."

/

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Joker's laughs echoes in his lair, as he almost falls out of his chair. "You know what's funny? Having to give a speech about how wrong your last speech went. Talk about a recipe for disaster! Heh heh."

"Yeah. That's real funny, boss," one of his henchmen replies.

"EXCEPT HONESTLY, I'M TIRED OF SPEECHES! Speeches and speeches and speeches! I swear, they never end these days. But you know what they say, boys…? Actions speak louder than words. Now, let's get out there and bust their damn eardrums!"

* * *

Pamela is wide awake in her bed. She doesn't want to sleep. She doesn't want to face tomorrow. She may not have to. Her phone rings at 12:41am. Bruce tells her to check her email. She sees the top four stories of a building explode in flames, while a firework is launched from atop another, the firework bursting into the shape of a joker card.

/

"Are you sure you want me here?" a voice says from behind Batman. He doesn't even turn. "I don't even want me here," she continues. "What if it happens again? What if someone does something because of me? Who will keep them in line?"

"I will," Batman responds, still not turning around.

"And who will keep _you_ in line?"

Batman turns around, a respirator overtop of his mask.

"Hm. Well, thanks for the vote of confidence," Ivy pouts.

"Well, well, well! Isn't that an interesting choice, Batsy? What's the matter? Don't you trust your own sidekick?" Joker asks, referring to Batman's respirator.

"I am **not** a sidekick," Ivy asserts.

"My, my. Clearly, you are delusional. And… a little green, I might add!", Joker says to Ivy with his hands cupping his face in feigned shock.

"Shut up, Joker," Ivy replies.

Joker gasps. "She knows my name, she knows my name! Ooh, I must be **famous!"**

"What's the game this time, Joker? More bombs?" Batman asks.

"Well, I can't help it, Batsy! I do loooove things that go kablooey!" he says, setting off another bomb. "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Batman and Ivy watch in horror. Batman grips a batarang and draws his arm back.

"I really wouldn't do that, Batsy. If my finger slips, they all go off. I have eight—seven? —More bombs just like that. And **you…,"** he says, pointing at Poison Ivy, "I you even _wink_ at me funny…"

"I want those bombs, Joker!" Batman demands.

"Well, then you're just gonna to have to earn them," Joker teases.

"What is it you want, Joker? Why do you keep doing this?" he asks.

"Well, don't I want what everyone else wants? To live a healthy, **happy** life? HA HA HA HA!"

"Joker. _Please._ I'm begging you. Is that what you want? You want me to **beg,** Joker?!" Batman shouts.

"Fine. I'll give you a hint. Aaaaaall the bombs viewed from above make a nice little smiiiiiiley face! Heh heh heh HEH! Okay. Okay! I won't leave you two hanging. I **will** give you the locations of all eight or seven bombs. But you have to give me permission first."

"You have my **permission,** Joker!" Batman shouts angrily.

"Congratulations!" Joker says, sliding a device across the roof to Batman. "You won the location of one bomb!" Batman looks at the blinking red dot on Joker's electronic map. "But I don't think your _sidekick_ would appreciate you not consulting her first," he says to Batman while wagging his finger. "You see…", Joker begins, motioning to his right, "The price of one bomb is one tree."

Batman and Ivy witness a tree bursting into flames in the park below.

"Nooooooo!" Ivy screams.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"You evil…," Ivy starts, making a move towards Joker.

Batman grabs her by the arm. "Give me the rest of the bombs, Joker."

"Very well, then."

Another tree bursts into flames.

"BATMAN!" Ivy pleads.

"IVY. You need to **calm down."**

"Y'know, maybe this game _is_ funner with two of you, after all. Heeheehee-ha!"

"Joker," Batman says.

A third tree bursts into flames.

"BATMAN how **dare** you give in to this **terrorist?!** I'm not going to let you—"

"I'm not going to fight you, Ivy. I know you're new to this, but I expect more from you."

"And I expect more from **you."**

"Tree hugger. Pbbbbbt!" Joker raspberries at her.

"Do I look like a JOKE to you?" Ivy screams with rage.

"Do you really want me to answer that? Ha ha ha!"

"You two, stop this and give me the next bomb."

"BATMAN…," Ivy says, staring at him without even bothering to look at the carnage behind her.

"Would you stop it with the damn plants, Ivy? Human lives are at stake here!"

"Batman. Whatever happened to me… I studied my own biology. I'm half plant now. I breathe carbon dioxide, I begin to wither without sunlight, I can communicate with plants, **hear their damn screams,** SO DON'T GIVE ME ANY OF THAT CRAP, BATMAN!"

"Plants don't _scream,_ Ivy."

"I'M NOT DELUSIONAL, DAMMIT!"

"Ha ha ha ha! Are too!"

"SHUT the hell… UP!" Ivy screams at Joker.

"If you have a problem Ivy, then leave," Batman says to her.

"No."

The two of them stare at each other with rage.

"You know, this is all getting rather boring," Joker says. "The rest of the bombs go off in 28 minutes. They won't wait forever, and neither will I!"

"28 minutes, Batman. _Please._ I beg you. Help me find the rest of the bombs. If we get short on time… do what you have to. I know better. But please, just try."

"Tick tock, tick tock. Will our two heroes be able to sort out their differences or will Batman take the easy way out? HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

"If you're still standing here by the time I get back, Joker… I will break every bone in your body."

With that, Batman glides into the night on leather wings, Ivy swinging on a vine close behind.

"Heh. Heh. Heh. Heh."

* * *

 _"Okay, Batman. So, how will we find the rest of the bombs?"_

"I have their locations. Your first bomb will be located in the Knights Dome Sporting Complex."

 _"What do you mean, you have the locations of the bombs? You let the Joker burn four trees when you had the locations of the bombs the entire time?"_

"I did **not** have the locations of the bombs the whole time. I needed time for the decryption software to find the data string Joker was sending to receive the bomb locations. I couldn't have known how much time I would have."

 _"I'm not talking to you anymore."_

"I still need to walk you through defusing the bombs, Ivy," Batman speaks into his headpiece. "Damn temperamental plant woman," he grumbles to himself. He locates his own bomb in a bush behind a park bench. He takes a handheld device and scans the case with it, revealing the circuits underneath. He uses a laser to carefully remove a portion of the casing, before double-checking the circuit's functions with a multimeter. He swiftly cuts the blue wire.

"That's one bomb down, Ivy. You find yours yet?"

 _"Not yet."_

"Continue down that hall and turn left. Find it?"

 _"I've found it."_

"Good. Now, I'll need you to send me some pictures. I need a good look at the bomb's outer wiring, and I'll need you to scan it with the Bat-MRI and show me the image of its internal circuits."

 _"The what?"_

"The portable device I gave you."

 _"You seriously call it a Bat-MRI?"_

"Ivy…"

 _"Okay. Here are your pictures. The circuits look exactly the same to me."_

 **"Never assume!"** Batman growls.

 _"Okay, geez. What do you want me to do with this?"_

"Alright. I want you to cut the blue wire."

 _"Got it. Blue wire…"_

"WAIT, DON'T!"

 _"Now what?"_

"You see that portion of the circuit that looks like a double helix?"

 _"Yes…"_

"I need you to measure the voltage of that wire to the left of it."

 _"3.20 volts."_

"Yeah. You should cut the red wire."

 _"Are you sure?"_

"Yes. Do it."

Batman waits for a response.

 _"You realize you almost blew me up?"_

"Sure. **Now** you want me to go slow. You realize I just saved your life?"

 _"HA HA HA HA HA! You two are a riot!"_ Batman's defused bomb says. _"Though, really, Batman. Cheating in **my** game? I suppose I'll allow it for now…," _Joker grumbles through the bomb's speaker.

"Just five more bombs, Ivy," Batman assures her.

 _"Aw, I was hoping it was six,"_ Joker says. _"But it doesn't matter. Because while you've been busy…"_

 ** _CLICK!_**

"Say 'ho ho ho', Bat," a man behind him says.

"Here. How about a present?" Batman asks, swinging the defused bomb in front of his body to face the gunman.

"E-e-ey, easy with that!"

"Catch!" Batman says, tossing the bomb towards him.

The gunman drops his gun and catches the bomb. Batman takes it from him and punches him in the face, knocking him out cold. Gunfire erupts from either side of him.

"Ivy, your second bomb will be in the Kronos Building."

 _"Aaah! I'm surrounded, Batman!"_

"Can you make it back to the Batmobile?" Batman asks, while taking cover behind a tree.

 _"Almost there now."_

The two gunmen continue firing. Batman listens closely to determine their positions. Without peeking from behind the tree, he throws a pair of batarangs that hit the two of them on their way back. Then, he carefully peeks from behind the tree.

"Ivy? You still there?"

 _"Don't worry. I made it to the Batmobile."_

"Good. You should be protected from gunfire in there."

 _"Oh my God. He has a grenade launcher. Batman—!"_

"Ivy!"

Batman mounts his Batcycle to move on to the next bomb. More gunmen chase him as he goes down the street.

"Ivy, are you okay?"

 _"Just five more bombs, right?"_

* * *

In a single morning before dawn, the Joker detonated two bombs, taking the lives of 35 people. Lives Joker will answer for. But Batman and Ivy saved many more lives defusing the other seven bombs. They return to the rooftop Joker was at before the countdown started with just under a minute to spare. But they don't see him.

"Ivy. Do your plants see anything? Do you have any idea where Joker might be?"

Ivy grows some vines to the top of the building to search for her.

"Nothing. I don't know where he is."

 ** _KA-THOOM!_**

One last bomb goes off, sending Batman and Ivy flying to opposite ends of the rooftop. Ivy gets up and finds shrapnel digging under her skin, but she'll be alright, she hopes. The bigger concern is the bomb, and—Batman. She sees him lying unconscious and makes her way to him as fast as she can.

"Batman. Batman!" she cries, gently shaking him. "Please don't die. We can't lose to Joker. We can't let him win!"

She sees that he is also pierced by shrapnel, but his suit more or less protected him from it.

"Oh, silly me. There _were_ ten bombs after all. I knew it was an even number. Thought that one would appear on your Bat-radar, bat-whatever-it-is, did you? Heheheheh."

Joker snuck up on her while she was distracted. She looks over her shoulder to see him pointing a gun at her. She slowly turns around and raises her arms in surrender, while her vines slowly crawl towards him from behind.

"I don't think so, Ivy. Call off your plants now. Or…"

Joker leans over the edge and shoots a random passerby on the street.

"OKAY, OKAY! I give up."

"Stand still just like that and nobody else has to get hurt. After this, it will just be me… and the Dork Knight. No more meddling from you. Don't worry, it will all be over… in a bang."

Joker shoots at her.

"Nn!" Ivy quietly exclaims with a flinch. Joker missed. But judging by the look on his face, he did it on purpose. He doesn't just want to kill her. He wants to humiliate her and throw her in the garbage. If she's going to die, it won't be in cowardice. So, she stands her ground. Joker approaches her at a leisurely pace, shooting as he gets closer and closer. Finally, he aims at her forehead, ever so slightly out of reach. Ivy tries to soften her countenance.

"You… wouldn't hurt me… would you?"

Joker closes the gap and hits her across the face with his gun. She falls on the ground and the Joker points his gun at her one last time.

"Oh, yes. I absolutely would. Heheheheheh."

With a glint of light and a metallic clang, Joker's gun is knocked out of his hand as he shoots.

"Huh?" Joker blurts.

"It's over, Joker," Batman says as he kicks him to the ground. "No more games. You've lost, Joker."

Joker eyes the edge of the building and slowly strides towards it.

"Oh, I don't think so. I get how you **heroes** work. If I fall, you would catch me, wouldn't you?"

"Go ahead and find out," Batman growls.

Joker inches his way to the end, Batman slowly following with measured steps.

"Aw, did you want to watch, Batsy? I had no idea you cared so much."

Joker spreads out his arms and lets his body slowly swing backwards until he flips over the side. Batman rushes to the edge as fast as he can to seize Joker's body with his grapple, but Ivy's vines catch him first. She brings him up to the rooftop and sets him down.

"Really, you two are no fun," Joker says. "AAAAAAAAAHHH!" Joker then screams as Ivy breaks his arm before kicking him down to his knees.

"Batman! Are you just going to let her do this to me?"

"Maybe you'll enjoy the company better at Arkham," Batman says to him. He turns to Ivy. "We should let Commissioner Gordon do his job from here."

"Just one last thing. Say… Joker. How _did_ you break out of Arkham?" Ivy says with a voice sweet as the nectar of a yellow water iris.

"I blackmailed a guard," Joker says, his wide grin turning into a soft smile.

"Mm? And what was his name?"

"Charlie. The guy with the bald spot. Can you kiss me now?"

"No," Ivy says, breaking eye contact with him.

Batman just stands there with his arms crossed. "Hm. Can you teach me how to do that?" he asks.

* * *

Mrs. Jones walks out of an elevator and past the television.

 _"Of course, the obvious reason people have become so agitated and anxious lately most likely has to do with the Joker's recent attacks on Gotham. What this doesn't explain, though, is why people seem to be most agitated in the mornings before they go to work…"_

She walks down the hall and makes a left into the conference room. She only sees Bruce there.

"Bruce! You scared me. Oh, my. Did I arrive late?"

"Actually, Mrs. Jones, I arrived early today."

"It is an unexpected surprise. But a welcome one. May I ask why?"

"When you see a terrorist rip through your city as if it's just some thing to be discarded, you start to remember what's important in your life. I spend too much time trying to make myself feel better, when all I can do is think about my parents. But maybe if I can honor my family's name, it might not hurt so much."

"None of us ever get past our problems by hiding from them. Still, after all these years… I'm sorry for your loss."

"I think it was big of Poison Ivy to take responsibility for something she had no control over. She didn't have to say anything. It wouldn't have made a difference. But, she did it anyway. I think it was a very courageous thing to do. She's definitely not like Batman."

"No, she isn't like Batman," Mrs. Jones says. "All Batman does is hide in the shadows. You ask me, I think Batman has some growing up to do."

Bruce chuckles. "Yes, I believe he does."

\- End Chapter 3 -


	4. Fear that Lingers

Batman and Ivy

Chapter 4: "Fear that Lingers"

* * *

 **A/N: Don't worry, everyone. I haven't forgotten about Dick Grayson.**

* * *

\- Day 1 -

"The Joker's history. I mean, yeah. Lotsa people died, but at least he's in prison again."

"You mean Arkham."

"Oh."

\- Day 2 -

"Do you ever think, 'Oh, man, it's gonna happen again?' There'll be another Joker, another Ventriloquist, or Mad Hatter. They're everywhere. It's… **scary."**

"Gotham is home. We can't think like that. Fear can't keep us from our home."

\- Day 3 -

"I'm scared. Gotham will claim the lives of the weak. We can never be safe. We can never be happy. How can we ever succeed in life? What if we die first?"

"I don't know."

\- Day 4 -

"Hug me. I need you. Everything else is just so scary."

\- Day 5 -

"You're all alone. No. You're not scared. You're not scared. There's no reason to be scared. HELP MEEE, SOMEONE!"

\- Now, the Batcave -

"Bruce? I don't understand. Everyone in the city is destroying each other, screaming in terror. Why did you need me here and not out there?" Pamela echoes into the large expanse that is the Batcave. She makes her way down the stairs towards Bruce. "Better yet, why are **you** in here?"

"Every problem has a cause, an origin. I suspect the populace has been _poisoned._ I need you working on the solution."

"How does someone poison an entire city?"

"The clues to the cause lie in the timing. Why are people most affected by sudden fear in the mornings before work? Or in the case of collegiate sports, after a big game?"

"Water, I'm guessing?"

"Exactly."

"Okay, so I need to get to work on treating a waterborne toxin."

"Well, you're half right. Alfred and I are unaffected. Those living in the Narrows are also largely unaffected."

"But what do the rich have in common with the poor?" Pamela asks. "Besides just water?"

"Hot shower water turns to vapor. But if you have a water filter, or you _don't_ have hot water, you're not as likely to be exposed to it."

"So, you're heading to Gotham's water supply?"

"No. I'm heading to the Narrows. Either the Narrows was deliberately spared, or whoever's behind this will be coming back for seconds. Either way, I intend to find out. You start working on an anti-toxin. I already have a method for mass delivery."

"What are you, some sort of detective?" Pamela asks, raising an eyebrow.

"I am what this city needs me to be," Bruce says, as he gets up from the Batcomputer and puts on a gas mask.

* * *

 ** _CLANG!_**

A group of five homeless people huddled around a fire look up at a tall, skinny figure standing with a pitchfork in his hand.

"Fear not, fellow underlings. The Scarecrow returns to his flock to proffer the means of revenge on the uncaring and sadistic Gotham elite. Together, we can take what must be ours. I will be your educator. I will be your liberator. We will teach those who shame the weak the true nature of fear!"

One man just gives him an odd look. "You're off yer rocker, old geezer!"

The Scarecrow creeps out of the shadows, long limbs taking long strides, as he stops in front of the man and bends over him.

"Did you think it wise to treat your savior with such contempt?" Scarecrow asks him. "Have you no fear?"

"I fear nothin'."

"Not even death?" Scarecrow asks.

The man just sticks his head up. With one swift stroke and the collective gasp of the others, cold steel pierces mortal flesh.

"Only fools fear nothing. I would have saved you, if you only had a brain."

Scarecrow retrieves his pitchfork, as the body drops before him.

"'Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.' Now, who among you is enlightened? Let him join me." Scarecrow scans the four, who are backed into a corner and refuse to come forward to join him. "Then let terror consume you!" Scarecrow reaches out his gloved, bony hand, releasing a toxin from his sleeve.

/

"AAAAAAAHH!"

The tires of the Batcycle screech as Batman makes a hard left. He quickly accelerates, nearing top speed, as he enters an alleyway. He sees the four of them screaming in agonizing terror. He sees the dead body. He sees the Scarecrow, laughing at the sight of it all.

"You, in the mask! Turn around slowly."

He sees the lanky figure turn. He sees the gas mask on his face. He knows he has the culprit.

"The Batman. Shadow of the night. The phantasm who hunts in the darkness to fight the darkness. Join me, Batman. I've already brought the city to its knees. Everyone will succumb to the fear of the Scarecrow!"

"He who strikes terror in others is himself continually in fear."

"Claudius Claudianus," Scarecrow remarks. "Excellent, Batman! It seems we are birds of a feather."

"I am nothing like you," Batman says, fanning out three batarangs in his hand.

Scarecrow begins to close the gap between them. Batman throws two batarangs, both of which Scarecrow promptly deflects with his pitchfork. Batman, too, approaches Scarecrow. Scarecrow takes a swing at Batman, who ducks underneath and attempts to uppercut Scarecrow with a batarang in hand, but Scarecrow easily stays out of reach with his long strides. Scarecrow jabs at Batman, who deflects the pitchfork with his gauntlet before sticking a batarang in Scarecrow's shoulder. Batman grabs the pitchfork and points it at him.

"Prefer to keep your distance, Scarecrow?" he asks.

"Actually, I prefer to be most intimate with my students."

"A giant bat!" someone yells.

As soon as Batman turns to the voice, he receives a shoe that flies at him and hits just beneath his chin. Seizing the moment, Scarecrow kicks the mask off Batman and gasses him. Batman covers his face and stumbles back.

"How much fear does it take to break the Batman?" Scarecrow asks, regaining his ground.

Batman starts seeing things. Buildings crumbling. Zombies overtaking the streets, all corrupted by the evils of Gotham in their own unique ways. He's hallucinating. The cure. He has to go see Pamela. He leaves Scarecrow's pitchfork behind, but not before putting a tracker on it. The Batcycle races down the street, heading straight towards Scarecrow, who dives out of the way. Batman mounts the bike and flees.

* * *

The Batmobile pulls into the Batcave, same as usual. A stumped Pamela Isley rises from her seat in front of the Batcomputer, prepared for Bruce to rush her progress. Instead, he stumbles out of the Batmobile and falls over.

"Bruce!"

He tries to stand, but he sees bats swarm around him. The screen of the Batcomputer shows the Scarecrow blowing up every building in sight.

"Bruce! What happened to you? He didn't gas you, did he?"

Pamela reaches to help him up, but her hands turn into claws as she touches him.

"AAAAAAAAHHH!"

* * *

"Scarecrow. Scarecrow. Scarecrow. Bruce…"

Bruce wakes up in his room, but next to him is Alfred lying in bed in a hospital. Bruce shuts his eyes tight.

"It's not real," he tells himself.

"Bruce…," he hears Pamela say to him.

"Where's Alfred?" Bruce asks her.

Pamela looks at him, confused. "He's right next to you. You're in the Batcave. You're both suffering from this 'Scarecrow's fear toxin, as is the rest of Gotham."

"No. How did he… get exposed?"

"There was residual gas lingering on your costume. I'm sorry, Bruce. I'm really more familiar with plant toxins. I'm not sure how to cure you yet. But Scarecrow will have the anti-toxin on him. I'm the only one who can stop him. I'm going alone."

Pamela gets up and heads for the door to a room that probably isn't there. Pamela, the door, everything he can see in front of him stretches out farther away from him.

"No! Don't! You're not… ready."

Pamela walks down the stairs to the Batmobile. Dick is waiting for her.

"Why aren't you two doing anything about Scarecrow? And why can't I see Bruce?"

"Dick? Dick, are you alright? I need to see you…," Bruce says from the upper level.

Dick begins to run up the stairs, but is stopped when Pamela grabs his shoulder.

"Dick, don't listen to your dad right now. He's not well. He might be dangerous."

"He's not my dad! And everything was just fine between us until you came along."

Dick continues up the stairs a bit more to see Bruce and Alfred.

"Dick?"

"Leave us alone," Dick says to Pamela.

Pamela backs off and gets in the Batmobile, driving away. Dick finishes climbing up the stairs. Bruce and Alfred are both tied down; Bruce is without his utility belt. Bruce watches as Pamela drives away. The darkness of the cave grows and encases the Batmobile.

"No!" he cries.

He sees Dick in front of him, just a kid. He sees Alfred lying helpless in bed. And Pamela, still struggling to control her powers. All three of them helpless against the evils headed their way. A painting fades in, somehow hanging in the air. His parents. They talk to him, though they are part of the painting.

"How DARE you?!" Thomas barks at him. "This is **your** mission, Bruce! You promised us. Now, you risk the life of another person on our behalf, because you're not good enough."

"Father…," Bruce says, reaching out his hand, as if he weren't bound by restraints.

Dick approaches Bruce's bedside. He kneels beside him. He feels so helpless. He doesn't want to see Bruce or Alfred like this. But he knows what he _can_ do. He goes down the stairs to the Batcomputer.

"Ivy."

 _"Dick, is that you?"_

"Yeah, it's me. I may be too young to kick butt, but at least I'm young enough to use a computer."

 _"Hey! I know how to use a computer. But I bet you don't know five languages."_

"Six. And counting. And I bet Bruce didn't teach you martial arts for as long as he taught me."

 _"Brat."_

Dick chuckles to himself, satisfied with his victory. They both hear the engine start up. Dick sees Bruce leave the Batcave, cape wildly flapping behind as he picks up speed.

"Oh, no. BRUUUUCE!" he shouts.

 _"Did Bruce just leave the Batcave?"_

Dick checks his pockets. "He took my pocket knife."

 _"Why do you have a pocket knife?"_

"Um…"

 _"Does he know where Scarecrow is?"_

"Who, Bruce? The guy once put a tracker on a robin, hoping to gather evidence on the Penguin."

 _"I'm sorry, who's the Penguin?"_

"Some guy who owns a lounge. Who knows? Bruce can get a bit crazy sometimes."

 _"I've noticed."_

"Bruce, no, Master Bruce!" Alfred's shout echoes within the Batcave. The ballroom is crowded. He tries to quickly make his way through the crowd, but someone comes up and stops him.

"Hey, you're Bruce's butler, right? Bruce told me he was going to the bathroom twenty minutes ago, and now I can't find him in the crowd. Do you have any idea where he is?"

"I'm sorry, sir. I'm afraid Master Bruce has left," Alfred admits, telling the truth as he always does.

"Oh. He left. Again and again. Where exactly does he keep going? Is he hiding something? What are you two covering up?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you," he says to the man.

Alfred suddenly finds himself remembering the past. Pamela wakes up from the medical bed in the Batcave. She was just shot by the Ventriloquist.

"You're going to be alright, Miss Isley. You are in the Batcave. Batman will be here soon."

Pamela looks at the I.V. connected to her arm.

"You saved me. Who are you?"

"You may call me Alfred."

"Alfred. I'll remember you."

The thought echoes in Alfred's head. Perhaps he said too much.

* * *

Batman rides full speed on the Batcycle through the city of Gotham. There are traffic jams everywhere, car accidents everywhere. He checks his locator to make sure Scarecrow isn't on the move. He sees a traffic jam ahead, so he makes a turn. He drives through two red lights before coming up on another traffic jam, so he turns again. Yet another traffic jam.

He takes the Batcycle over the sidewalk, where tons of civilians seem to come out of nowhere, busily crowding the sidewalk. Batman tries to slow down a bit, but it's almost as if they're deliberately trying to get run over. Inevitably, he crashes into someone. He comes to a sudden stop and backs up to make sure they're alright. He sees the young kid he ran over and goes up to them. But the girl suddenly jumps up and roars at him, baring claws and fangs.

Batman quickly gets back on the Batcycle to continue on his way to Scarecrow. He swerves around many vehicles, including oncoming traffic. Suddenly, a large truck comes directly towards him, forcing him to veer to the side to avoid it. He dodges barely dodges it, but crashes into a wall at high speed, forcing him off the bike. He gets up from where he's lying and looks at the bike—totaled. Someone comes up to him to offer him help, but he refuses it. Instead, he eyes a red Nissan across the street.

/

The Batmobile is traveling at a moderate speed before it slowly comes to a stop.

"A traffic jam. They're everywhere, Dick."

 _"You should've taken the Batwing."_

"Okay… well now that I'm here, what's the fastest way to get to Batman?"

 _"To come back to the Batcave and get the Batwing."_

Ivy lets out an annoyed sigh.

"Fine. I'll just—yeah, I'll drive all the way back and get the Batwing. You could have told me sooner."

She makes a U-turn, but is stopped by a family making their way in front of the car. She honks the horn at them, but they only get closer.

"Batman! Please help! Our son is about to jump off the building."

Ivy opens the top of the Batmobile.

"Wait, you're not Batman."

Ivy looks up and sees someone standing on a ledge. She debates in her mind how many people she has time to save, but ultimately decides to help the kid. She walks up to the nearest tree, which bends over for her. She grabs ahold of its branches as it stretches up to the roof.

"Oh my God! That tree is eating that boy!" she hears someone shout.

She carefully walks up to the boy, nonetheless.

"Hi. My name is Poison Ivy. I'm here to help you."

"No! Please don't hurt me! Don't hurt!"

"No, it's alright. I won't hurt you. You're gonna be okay. This is all just some nightmare. I'm going to stop the man behind it all. I promise."

/

About twenty minutes later, Ivy arrives at the location of the Batcycle.

"He isn't here, Dick. I found the Batcycle, but it's totaled. Now, how am I supposed to find him?"

 _"I'll bet you can find Batman if you find Scarecrow."_

"And how do you suppose I do that?"

 _"Open the link I sent to your phone."_

Ivy opens the link on her phone and live news coverage comes up.

 _"Scarecrow is selling the cure to anyone he can. Not only do we have the cure now, we have Scarecrow's location, and Batman won't be far behind."_

"Thanks, Dick. You're a good kid."

 _"Yeah. Right. Wish everyone would stop treating me like one."_

/

Ivy arrives at Gotham Plaza, where Scarecrow is distributing the cure. The crowd is enormous. She sees the makeshift booths the people are headed towards, but none of them are being run by the Scarecrow himself. Finding Scarecrow is a top priority. She makes her way to the other end of the plaza where the booths are, hoping Scarecrow will be somewhere nearby. She sees a shadow approach from behind her, but it's too late, as she is knocked out. Above her unconscious body stands the dark figure of the Batman.

"Sorry, Ivy. I won't risk your life or anyone else's. This is my mission."

Apparently, the commotion drew the attention of two of Scarecrow's henchmen, who were attempting to approach him stealthily before they got noticed by him. Batman attempts to stare them down. They laugh in response. One swings a baseball bat at him. Batman catches the bat and hits the man in the gut. The other one approaches, who Batman kicks in the gut, before finishing the first with a punch to the face. Batman roars at the second henchman, finally scaring him away.

"I really do need to find better help. These weak-minded fools…. Hello again, Batman."

Batman turns around to meet Scarecrow face to face for a second time. Batman assumes a fighting stance. Scarecrow reaches his arms up and roars, somehow elongating his body and shrinking the buildings behind him. Batman gasps and takes half a step back before he's whacked on the side of his head by Scarecrow's pitchfork.

"The Batman no longer rules Gotham City, gentlemen. Let the celebration begin."

* * *

It's suddenly morning, as Alfred realizes. He opens the front door to the mansion.

"HIYA! I'm here ta see Mistah Bruce Wayne?"

"Yes, Miss… who are you?" Alfred asks.

"Arleen's the name, an' he's my date. An' you are?"

"Alfred Pennyworth, Master Bruce's manservant. May I take your coat?"

"Alfred…. AL-fred. Al-FRED. Hm… why does that name sound familiar?"

"I am afraid I do not know the answer to your question, Miss Sorkin. People don't tend to remember the butlers, you see. Though, perhaps it is possible I've been on television, somewhere in the background."

"Oh! OMG! Yer Alfred, THE ALFRED? My friend Pammy told me so much about ya! You know Batman! I HAVE TO TELL ALL MY FRIENDS!"

"Miss, I believe you have the wrong idea."

"No, no. THIS IS AWESOME!" Arleen takes her phone out. "Mistah G? Oh, you'll just plotz when ya hear what I found out! Alfred the butlah knows Batman! Ya know what? He probably waits on Batman. He's a butlah after all. OMG. What if Batman is Bruce Wayne? Wouldn't that be awesome? Me going on a date… WITH BATMAN?!"

"Miss, neither Bruce Wayne nor Batman are here right now. I'm afraid you'll have to leave."

"Um. Okay. See ya later, alligator. Ha ha ha ha!" the odd girl cackles, cartwheeling away.

Alfred hangs his head in defeat. He just lied to someone right to her face. Even worse, it's what he was truthful about that caused the mess in the first place. He gave too much away. He had no right.

* * *

The screams of the populace sing in Scarecrow's ears. Screams of terror. Screams of hate. And if they hate him, all the better. And hate him, they should. He worked hard in life overcoming every fear that ever crossed his path. Overcoming the system, becoming a highly accomplished psychiatrist despite his humble and unprivileged upbringing. As long as they hate him, he gets the attention he deserves. And making money off them can't hurt, either. Within a week, he'll have everything he could ever want. He'll become a legend, perhaps even a god to them. But first, to take down the false god….

"Citizens of Gotham, as your savior, Scarecrow is here to release you of your miseries. And while you pay me with your hard-earned money, there is yet one more price to be paid. Your local hero… _the Batman._ Tonight, he burns at the stake for his crimes, aiding a broken system. As our nation's first leader put it, 'The basis of our political system is the right of the people to make and to alter their constitutions of government.' Batman may work outside the law, but he's the one instilling fear in people's hearts. Tonight, you shall know the true purpose of fear. And you will know that **it is only I** who deserves to wield it."

/

The echoes of Scarecrow's voice seem distant in the black void. The pavement feels rough and cold against her face. She groans softly, as she slowly makes it up to her hands and knees.

 _Scarecrow…? Batman…? Batman!_

His silhouette crossing in front of the fire is the only thing she's able to focus on in her groggy state. Suddenly, she notices the size of the crowd, then the screams. She's wide awake now… mostly. She mentally separates the enemies from the civilians. With a few loud cracks, the trees in the plaza come to life, their roots erupting from under the cement.

 _"Oh, good. You're up. I was beginning to think I've lost you,"_ Dick says through the comms.

"AAAAaahh!"

 ** _RATATATAT!_**

 _"I see you wasted no time getting back into the action."_

"Dick? I'm trying to concentrate here."

 _"Oh. Sorry. Tell me if anything interesting happens."_

A root pulses across the plaza, carrying Ivy straight across. A henchman behind Ivy trains his sights on her, only to get smacked in the side of the head by a tree branch.

"Ivy. No. You can't be here," Batman says to her.

"Shut up. I'm saving you."

She begins untying him, when she notices Scarecrow approaching out of the corner of her eye.

"You like monsters, Scarecrow? I engineered these flytraps to rip small chunks out of unruly savages like you," she says to him, one Venus flytrap sprouting from either shoulder of her suit.

"You heroes wish to parade yourselves as icons among the people. I'll give you and this entire plaza the same extra-concentrated dose of vile fear I gave to Batman."

"You don't scare me."

"Then you're a _fool."_

Fear gas releases along the perimeter of the plaza, right where all the trees happen to be. Their roots retract in self-defense. Scarecrow reaches out both arms towards Ivy, spraying her with the same toxin. Her flytraps sink back down to her shoulders. Her suit creates a defensive layer of thorns on both sides, quickly digging into her skin, causing her to hunch over in pain. Scarecrow approaches Ivy, waiting in excitement to witness her reaction.

"That's good, Poison Ivy, good. Bow to your master. Tell me what terrible secrets haunt your very being."

"There's… nothing… you can do to stop what you've got coming," Ivy says, struggling to get the words out.

"What is it you most fear? Is it death? Is it fire? Is it failure? Every hero must fear failure."

Scarecrow raises his pitchfork with both arms, preparing an overhead strike. He brings it down fast, putting his weight into it. Ivy catches the pitchfork and pulls on it, dropping him to the ground. Ivy pulls again, but Scarecrow stubbornly keeps his hold on it. Ivy lets go of the pitchfork to attack him, but he rolls to his side, then trips her. He leans against the pitchfork to quickly rise above her. He once again raises the pitchfork, before jabbing down at her a few times, but Ivy manages to escape his reach. Scarecrow swings the pitchfork in a horizontal arc. Ivy slide kicks underneath it and trips Scarecrow. He drops his pitchfork, and she is there to pick it up.

"So… Scarecrow, do you fear me or are you a fool?" she says to him, positioning the pitchfork in front of her.

Scarecrow slowly backs awa—he turns around and runs. Ivy immediately starts in a sprint towards him, but her thorny suit cuts deep into her skin, until she is no longer able to chase him. She drops the pitchfork and falls to her knees, clutching her torso.

"You're letting him get away!" Batman says to her, now untied next to the fire.

"Batman. I can't…!" she breathes heavily.

"You have to! Think of all the innocent people he'll hurt if he gets away! I can't trust my own mind right now, so you have to do it. You're the only one that can."

Ivy sees Scarecrow enter a building. She looks to the roof and sees a helicopter. She approaches the building at a light jog, stopping about halfway there. Scarecrow. The helicopter. Ivy. Her suit. She's alone, with no one to help her. Unless there were a way to get to the rooftop in time…

"Please. My babies. Listen to me. No one in this rotting city cares about you more than I do. Help Mommy, please. Help Ivy. I grew you all and nourished you. I gave you all hope in a city where nature is the furthest thing from its mind. Please. You have to be strong for me. There's a man I need to catch. No good can come from him. Not for you, not for anyone. Please help me. I love you. Make Mommy proud."

 _"Um... Ivy? Who're you talking to?"_ Dicks asks through the comms.

Ivy ignores him. The inner layer of Ivy's suit retracts its thorns. The outer layer of Ivy's suit reaches up to a balcony, pulling her up. She continues for four more stories, until she reaches the top. A loud thud is heard as Scarecrow kicks the rooftop door open. A screaming body flies towards him just as he arrives. Scarecrow looks down at the unconscious man, then up at Ivy.

"You've made my babies most agitated, Scarecrow. Worse… you've provoked the wrath of **Poison Ivy."**

The flytraps on Ivy's shoulders hiss at him and open wide….

* * *

Back at Wayne Manor, the foyer darkens. Alfred sees the silhouettes behind the window; he hears the screams. Sound pours in as the door opens for a moment, dropping the body of Bruce Wayne into the room.

"No, No! Bruce. Look at me. Look at me!"

Two more people enter through the door. Martha and Thomas Wayne.

"Why didn't you protect our son?" they ask him.

The question echoes through Alfred's mind. All that's left on the floor now is a giant bloodstain, and next to it, a mop and bucket. It's his job to clean up, no matter the mess. But better yet would it be if there were no mess to be cleaned.

"It's all my fault." Alfred says to himself.

"ALFRED!"

Alfred shoots up in the bed. Bruce is looking down at him.

"Master Bruce, you're alive!"

 ** _"'I'm alive?'_** Alfred, _you_ went into cardiac arrest. You almost **died."**

"Oh, goodness. What time is it? What happened while I was out? Did you find the cure?"

"We did. And we... _Pamela_ stopped him. Maybe, all this time I was worrying about nothing. She's strong, and her heart's in the right place. That's all that matters."

On the other side of the Batcave, Dick continues her conversation with Pamela.

"We have to talk about what happened back at the plaza."

"No. We don't, Dick."

"I'm just worried you might be treating your plants a bit too… passionately."

"They're living things, are they not? They deserve to be loved."

"Right. I just don't think…"

"It's fine. I'm fine. Everything's fine. You worry too much."

"Hey, last I remember, I wasn't the one exposed to Scarecrow's fear toxin."

"Yeah, little boy? What do you know? Maybe I have no fear."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

\- End Chapter 4 -


	5. Tunnel Vision

Batman and Ivy

Chapter 5: "Tunnel Vision"

* * *

 **A/N: We're halfway there! Sorry it's been a while since the last chapter. I'm currently rearranging my priorities. I still plan on writing fanfics when I can still plan on finishing this story and writing others, but there are other things that have to come first. Also, bit of a tone shift for this chapter.**

* * *

It was morning in Gotham. The sun shone brightly off the reflective surfaces of its many towers. The city was busy, traffic everywhere. There was music playing, somewhere deep within a building….

 _In watching its pendulum_

 _Swing to and fro,_

 _Many hours had he spent while a boy;_

The record on the phonograph spun. The music echoed in the halls.

 _And in childhood and manhood_

 _The clock seemed to know,_

 _And share both his grief and his joy._

Humming. He hummed to match the tune. The echoes were gone; the music was gone. He was far from his room. He walked down the hall, pen in his right hand. These hallways were normally empty, but there happened to be one young woman in her twenties there that morning. They knew each other. He was expecting her. She smiled at him, she waved at him, she shyly opened in conversation. He switched the pen from his right hand to his left as she reached for a handshake. He shook her hand. And from out of the tip of his pen protruded a needle….

* * *

Pamela awakens with a gasp and quickened breathing. She looks at her clock. 2:27am. There is a light shining through the blinds. She peeks out to see that it is the Bat-Signal. She checks her phone for a message from Bruce. Nothing. Instead, the Bat-Signal goes out, leaving the night sky to its darkness. Pamela smiles, glad to go to bed again, and resumes sleeping.

\- 10 minutes earlier -

Bruce is in the Batcave looking for leads. Scarecrow's toxin induces the worst fears in its victims. When people are scared to such a point, they give in to their basest urges, get reckless. Bruce hopes someone may have seen Two-Face in all the chaos. His best former best friend, now half perfect, half defiled. But he was last sighted two years ago, while Bruce was still training.

His pager goes off, distracting him from his thoughts. He goes upstairs out of the shielding of the Batcave to check the Batphone for messages. Sure enough, Gordon left a message for him, likely making it an emergency. He thinks of calling Pamela for backup, as every second counts in an emergency. However, he decides not to, once he opens the message.

/

In the calm of night, an ambulance slowly and quietly drives up to the Gotham General Hospital. The doors open, and five doctors exit the vehicle, each wearing surgical masks and hair nets, and carrying old, worn-down surgical equipment. They all walk with wide steps, arms hanging by their sides. They greet no one, acknowledge no one while moving through the hospital. This annoys one of the hall monitors, who tries to stop them. One of the doctors plunges a sternal saw into the man's chest. This quickly draws attention, so the doctors start moving faster through the building. One of them produces a ten-gallon ballistic nylon bag, and they start pouring surgical equipment in.

"STOP! Put your hands where I can see 'em!" a guard calls out to them.

One of the doctors takes out a captive bolt pistol and shoots the guard in the head with it. They quickly start on their way out, tossing aside their masks and hairnets, revealing red hair and faceless—faces, masks? –on each of them. They almost make their way to the exit when the lights go out. In the dark, they gesture to each other, spreading out and taking up strategic positions. They hear a muffled cry and then a thud. But before they see him, he produces a flash of light, blinding them. He topples two of them with a drop sweep. But they all stand again as if nothing happened. They all rush toward him, but Batman grapples a sturdy part of the ceiling and swings forward, knocking two of them over. He fans out batarangs and knocks four of five of their weapons out of their hands, as well as rips their bag of supplies wide open. Batman sees the wall in front of him grow brighter by the second. He looks behind him—

 ** _CRASH!_**

Glass, brick, metal, _everything_ goes flying as a Big Belly Burger truck finds itself embedded in the hospital. The fake doctors scramble to the truck. One of their faces is bleeding severely, apparently injured by the flying debris. Batman tries to intercept the escape, but is fired upon by a machine gun. As he takes cover, the fake doctors pick up the surgical tools and leave. Batman fires a tracker onto the vehicle, but they notice and destroy it. Batman hears footsteps approaching on his right.

"The Dollotrons. They struck again."

"Detective Bullock. They got away with a bag full of surgical equipment."

"Move aside, vigilante." Bullock bends over to pick up a piece of one of the Dollotron's faces that was chipped off. "This here's police evidence. Now, if you're done dancin' with dem Dollotrons, you're not needed here anymore."

* * *

After a quick morning shower, Bruce heads down the Batcave early. He once again pulls up his research on Two-Face.

"Good morning, Batman!" Pamela sighs from the lab, impressed with the growth of her seedlings. Bruce immediately minimizes the window on the Batcomputer. "I just wanted to thank you for not waking me up last night."

"And why would I do that?" Bruce asks.

Pamela stares at him in a way that eventually conveys annoyance.

"You mean you weren't going to tell me?"

Bruce sighs. "Last night. There was an attack on Gotham General."

"…Who would want to attack a hospital?"

"Pamela. I need you to listen to me. A few days ago, after Scarecrow gassed me, I fought him for a second time. But I wasn't in my right mind, and it almost cost me my life."

"You're welcome, by the way."

"A few months ago," Bruce continues, "Before you met me on the rooftop of the GCPD, before _Killer Croc,_ there were the Dollotrons. They're some sort of human lab experiments who work for Professor Pyg…"

"Oh. I see. Victims. Like me. So, what? You're afraid I'm going to panic or something? You think I'll be distracted? Is that what you're afraid of?"

"I understand he tortured you for nearly three weeks."

"I told you about ten times I don't care about Jason Woodrue, Bruce. It's over. I moved on. I have a new life now, a better life."

"I'm not the one who's afraid. I'm glad to help you, Pamela. It's no trouble for me to share the lab to help you with your studies. You told me you had trouble concentrating, that your powers were distracting you. But you've mastered them rather well now. What's someone with your talent doing in my lab instead of finishing her degree?" Pamela pinches her nose in distress. "I think you're afraid to go back there. And until you can prove to me that you truly have moved on, there are some missions I don't think you're ready for just yet."

Pamela closes her eyes and breathes deeply. Bruce goes back to the Batcomputer.

* * *

After nighttime comes once again, Batman visits Gordon's office.

"Are your people done examining the Dollotron mask?" Batman asks.

"I'm afraid not. Neither can I retrieve a piece for you without tampering with the evidence. It's important to keep the mask as close to its current state as possible for forensics to properly finish their analysis. What they've come up with so far is that the masks are most likely melted onto their faces. Can you image?"

Batman sighs. "We need to stop Pyg while the trail is still fresh."

"I'm sorry, Batman. I'll let you know of everything they find, but there's not much more I can do for you."

Batman turns his back and goes out the window.

* * *

Half an hour later, Batman returns to the Batcave and removes his cowl. He produces a plastic bag from his utility belt and lays it on the desk. Inside it is the Dollotron mask fragment. Alfred takes notice of the GCPD logo on the bag. Bruce in turn notices Alfred's reaction.

"Something to say, Alfred?"

"Not at all, Master Bruce."

"I do what I must to ensure the safety of Gotham."

"I know, sir." Alfred pauses. "When I was in the army, I had to kill to survive. It wasn't just about protecting myself, but protecting my comrades and serving my country. But at the end of the day, it was soldiers killing soldiers, who were serving for their country just the same. I saw what losing your parents did to you and I suppose I became a perfectionist of sorts. Even the smallest mistake has the potential to hurt someone in some way. But I realize that even following every rule known to man has its consequences. I don't know if the way you do things is right or wrong. I love you as if you were my own son, Bruce. And I know you love the people of this city just the same. Just promise me you'll never break this one rule: Never kill again."

Bruce dons a troubled look on his face and takes a few uncertain steps towards Alfred.

"I haven't told her. Or Dick, for that matter. But maybe you should."

* * *

The window of a darkened classroom faces the quadrangle of the university, partially obscured by trees. A vine creeps down next to the window from above. A tree branch opens the window from the outside, as a woman dressed in all black quietly climbs inside. Pamela scans her old classroom, trying to remember what it looked like dressed in light. But the darker image sticks in her mind, her attention shifting to the desk at the front of the room. She remembers Jason Woodrue. She remembers that pen he always used to carry.

/

 _Finally, someone noticed me! My professor, no less. My **role model.** He seems so eager to take notes. Wait, is that pen a needle?_

Pamela woke with a start. But she couldn't get up. The first thing she saw was the ceiling. But as she looked around, she realized it was a room she'd never been in before. The room was lit by a weak incandescent light. There was lab equipment everywhere. Chemicals. About a half dozen small plants on a table. And a man in a lab coat leaning over a desk, taking notes.

"I've been going over your notes, Pamela." That voice. Professor Woodrue. But why? "Your research is most impressive, as I've said many times before."

"You said you needed me for something. Was all of this a ruse to steal my work? How could you?"

"No. No, I would never dream of stealing from anyone as brilliant as you, Pamela. It's true; I do need you for something. Have you ever heard of a biochemist named Alec Holland?"

"What does this have to do with me?" Pamela asked, desperately searching the room for a way out.

"Please. Answer the question."

"No."

"He theorized that the plant life covering the face of the planet is all connected somehow. He referred to this connection as the Green. Now, observe the flora on the desk."

Within seconds, they seemed to grow a bit taller. And for a brief moment, they moved in sync, almost like a dance.

"Vegetation covers thirty percent of the surface of the earth, my dear. There are powers beyond imagining that govern this connection called the Green. And you… you have unlocked the secret to plant-animal hybridization. Once I create an entire species of plant-human hybrids, they will have no choice but to make me Avatar of the Green. Help me with my problem and I will give you anything you wish. You can rule by my side for all eternity. We will have everything we could ever want. We will inspire change and turn this savage technological world into a botanical paradise once again."

"They? The Green? What are you talking about, Professor? I just want to get out of here…"

"You think I'm crazy, don't you?"

"I don't think—" Pam shyly started, before a fearsome anger at the reality of the situation overcame her. "YOU HAVE ME STRAPPED DOWN TO A TABLE IN A SECRET LAB, YES I THINK YOU'RE CRAZY!"

"Pamela." His voice lowered in disappointment. "How uncharacteristically rude of my favorite student."

"How many more people do you plan on kidnapping to get what you want? You're gonna get caught. You don't want this…."

"Assuming everything goes to plan—You _do_ trust your own research, don't you? —I won't need anyone else but you. It only takes _two_ to populate a species…."

"…Professor, I want to get out of here, _now."_

Woodrue dipped the tip of his needle into a container of nitric acid.

"What are you doing? That's highly corrosive acid! You can't put that in me!"

"There's nothing to be afraid of. You _do_ trust your own research, don't you?"

"Wait—no—wait, no, please! HEEEELLLLLP!"

* * *

Black wings of leather flap in the wind as Batman touches down upon the rooftop of the GCPD.

"Gordon."

"Batman. Is there something you'd like to tell me?"

There is a brief pause in the cold air. "No," Batman responds.

"Hmph. That's what I figured. Well, you're not gonna have to look for clues any longer. I found someone who knows exactly where Professor Pyg is hiding. The only condition is she says she'll only talk to Batman."

A Dollotron comes out into Batman's view. By the looks of it, she's only a teenager.

"My name is Sasha. Please don't let him hurt my Papa. I can help you find him."

/

They drive through Midtown Gotham City. They get ready to drive past the Prewitt building, when Batman sees a body hanging in the unfinished building.

"Don't bother. He's dead. He or she. Whatever _it_ is now. They all just become _things_ to be forgotten. When he fails, he throws them away."

Batman walks up to the body. It's suspended by the weakest part of the building. He takes out the Batphone. "Gordon. I found a body in the Prewitt building. One of Professor Pyg's Dollotrons." He puts the Batphone back on his utility belt. "Let's get going."

Sasha leads Batman to the Gotham City Stadium. "The stadium gives him a large variety of subjects to work with. He likes the numbers they wear. Says that personal identity and uniqueness corrupt people's true purpose."

"The purpose being…?"

"Only Pyg would know," Sasha replies in a hushed tone.

"The purpose being to make life worth living. To hammer the nail that sticks out. Pyg puts all in alignment. Pyg make the world right. *Snort snort snort. *"

Batman spins around and sees Dollotrons surround them, numbering in the thirties, no forties, possibly more.

"Sorry, Batman. Pyg has my Papa."

She kicks him in the groin as hard as she can and shoves him towards Professor Pyg. A pair of Dollotrons grab Batman and move him toward an operating table.

"*Squee! * Excellent work, my Dollotron. Pyg finish fixing you next. After Pyg fix the Bat." Pyg slowly walks towards Batman, then grabs his cowl and leans in close, such that the snout of his pig mask nearly touches Batman's cowl. "Whatever you think you're hiding in there is worth nothing. Brings nothing but disorder. Pyg make night and the day the same. No more Bat."

* * *

Every day underground in a place unknown always seems to get longer somehow.

"Please. Will you just let me go? How long have I been here?"

"Almost three weeks." Professor Woodrue approached Pamela with what seemed to be a sorrowful look on his face. "I wanted to make you unique. I wanted to make you special. You're brilliant. You're better than anyone else who's ever set foot in this university; don't let anyone tell you any different."

"But what? If that's what you wanted before, what do you want from me now?"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I've been trying to fix you, but there's just nothing I can do."

"WHAT?!"

"You're sterile now, Pamela. We won't be able to accomplish what we've worked so hard for."

Pamela's world froze as she realized what this meant. Pamela's never really thought of having kids of her own, but now the possibility had been taken from her forever.

"There's no easy way to say this. But no one can know about this. Please understand. I never wanted it to come to this. I'm afraid you'll have to die."

"Why do you keep doing this?"

"Come, now. You're smarter than this, Pamela. You already know why. Asking again and again makes no difference."

"Please. Don't."

"You are a witness and a failure. I have no desire to end your life. You had such… promise." Woodrue produced a syringe filled with a green, viscous liquid. "In this needle contains all of the most deadly toxins known to man. I promise you it will be quick."

But it wasn't quick. She screamed in agony as every nerve in her body was lit on fire. It lasted for several minutes, to Woodrue's marvel.

"I don't understand. You should be dead already."

Woodrue produced another syringe, this time filled with a clear liquid.

"Another needle?" Pamela weakly scoffed with a laugh. "At this point… I'm… pretty confident you… can't really… poison me anymore."

"This is salt water. It will dehydrate you, whether you're immune to poisons or not."

She screamed as a foreign substance entered her veins once again. But she didn't want to go down without a fight. She spit into his face, immediately causing a him to holler in pain, as he held his face with his hand in an agony of his own, smoke rising from behind his fingers. In a state of reeling pain, he stumbled backwards into a shelf of chemicals, causing it to tumble on the ground, which then caused a fire to start. He then left the room as quickly as he could. The fire crept closer to Pamela every second, as she was helpless to move away from it. The first place the fire started licking at her was her right wrist. At this point, she was in so much pain that her screams came out silent. But with the greatest stroke of luck, the fire snapped the restraint on her wrist free, allowing her to finish freeing herself. She fled the room and the building as fast as she could, desperately searching for water to rehydrate herself and cool off the burns. She dove nude into the campus fountain, blacking out and landing with her face below the surface of the water.

/

 _I wish I never woke up that day. Or any day. But something kept me going. I needed to prove myself. To my Mom, to myself, to my colleagues, to everyone who thinks I can't get a degree in botanical engineering because I'm just some pretty woman…._

Pamela takes a break from her thoughts, when she notices her hand. It looks… normal. She looks at her reflection in a window, briefly risks turning on the light, just to be sure. For a moment, she looks like herself again, before her skin slowly returns to its green hue. Probably just a hallucination. She turns the light back off. She does know one thing:

 _I'm Poison Ivy now. Poison Ivy can do anything. I **can** finish my degree. I **can** be a hero if I want. I can even be a better hero than Bruce. I'm not nothing. I'm not some **thing** to be used. I was chosen by Mother Nature. No, I **am** Mother Nature now. I'm taking things into my own hands. No one messes with nature. Not Jason Woodrue, not this "Professor Pyg" Bruce wants to hide me from._

* * *

Professor Pyg's breath escapes his mask through the nostrils of the snout, landing dryly on the lower half of Batman's face. Pyg throws a punch that jerks Batman's head all the way back. He does it again and again. He then grabs the ears of Batman's cowl. Batman hears a slow, heavy clicking behind Pyg. Pyg hears it, too. The clicking suddenly becomes rapid. Pyg immediately moves out of the way as a large metal hook from the ceiling makes its way towards Batman. Unable to move, Batman instead quickly tries to process what's going on, spotting Sasha behind the hook, body leaning forward. She pushed the hook at Pyg. It instead hits Batman, dragging him back in his chair before slicing into his torso and seizing him from behind one of his ribs, pulling him slightly forwards on the rebound.

 _"Pyg's_ Dollotron? _Pyg's_ creation? What are you doing?" Pyg squeals.

Sasha charges at him and swings a knife at him, forcing him to dodge a few times, before he pulls out a saw to block her attacks.

"I'm not sorry, Batman, but I lied. Papa's already dead. I just needed you to help me kill Pyg."

"But Pyg make you perfect! Pyg make you better…! Pyg make you **pay."**

Dollotrons start to converge towards Sasha. She reluctantly but quickly cuts Batman free. He pulls the hook out from behind his rib and gives her a scowl before turning to ready himself for combat. A Dollotron throws a butcher knife at Batman, which he promptly dodges. He pushes the hook into two Dollotrons, knocking them over. He ducks under a hand saw being swiped at him horizontally. He hears Sasha grunting and groaning in exertion, as he hears a knife tearing through clothing and flesh.

"NO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" he asks after he turns around to witness her massacring the other Dollotrons.

"They're Pyg's monsters now, Batman! There's no saving them. You'd better stop complaining if you want us to make it out of here alive."

* * *

Pamela storms into the Batcave, already dressed as Poison Ivy. Alfred isn't downstairs, but Dick is sitting bored at the Batcomputer.

"Where's Bruce?" she asks him.

"He's stopping Professor Pyg. Why? You're not going after him, are you?"

"I am going after Professor Pyg whether Bruce wants me to or not. Now, where is he?"

Dick leans back in his seat. "Bruce told me not to tell."

Ivy becomes impatient with him. She crosses her arms in frustration. After about two seconds, her body language loosens. She cocks her head and taps her chin with her finger.

"Hmmm. And what else did Bruce tell you?"

"He told me you need to exercise self-control."

Ivy saunters towards Dick until she's right in front of him. She puts her hands on her hips in leans towards him.

"Come, my seedling. Isn't there something you want to tell me? Don't you think it would feel so much better to get it off your chest?"

Dick stares straight into her eyes, unaware he's slipping down into his seat.

"B-b-b-but… Bruce said—"

"Forget what Bruce said. Now, be a good blossom and open up to me."

"I… I… _I…,"_ he begins, before turning his head and frowning. "No! W-what are you… doing?"

 _Why can't this brat just do as he's told? There's really only one way to get what I want from him. Ew, but I'm **not** kissing a minor._

Ivy kisses her own hand, then presses it against his lips.

"Mm!" Dick gently mumbles behind Ivy's palm.

"'Mm?' I believe I asked for a location…."

* * *

Dollotrons grow closer every second. More pile into the room every second. Batman and Sasha are severely outnumbered. Batman can take on several Dollotrons for at least another minute. But what he's most worried about is Sasha. Her knife doesn't give her much of an advantage over the Dollotrons' weapons, even though they're not all armed. He turns his attention to her as she's getting overrun. He throws a few batarangs, slicing the tendons in the Dollotrons' legs to render them immobile. Unfortunately, it draws Sasha's attention to Batman. She gets kicked onto her back by one of the Dollotrons as she's looking behind at Batman. He shoots his grapple gun behind the Dollotrons at an incline and grabs her body. Sasha reaches for the knife, but Batman yanks her away. They ride up the cable, Batman kicking a few of them on their way behind.

"Pyg isn't done with you yet! A pot of clay cannot deny the work of the potter! It is destiny! *Snort* It is fate! *Squeeeee! *"

Batman sets Sasha down and tries to lead her away. Except she doesn't want to leave.

"Sasha, you have to leave, now!"

"I'm not going anywhere UNTIL I KILL PYG!"

She runs up to the closest Dollotron and pulls back, both wrestling it for its weapon and trying to keep her distance from the other Dollotrons. She grabs a Liston knife, kicks the Dollotron back, and draws her arm back, her sights in line with Pyg, behind the mass of Dollotrons, ready to throw the knife. Batman's hand grabs her wrist.

"No," he says in a firm, but calm voice.

A Dollotron swings a saw at Sasha, and Batman pulls her back just in time.

"Now, come on!" Batman says, letting go of her to give her freedom to escape.

Sasha instead swings at Batman to get him to back off.

"THAT'S ENOUGH, SASHA! LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!"

"Aaaaaahhh!"

A Dollotron grabs her. She stabs the Dollotron multiple times, but it does not fall. A drizzle of plaster falls from the ceiling. Batman looks up as the ceiling crumbles. Roots break through and ensnare some of the Dollotrons. Batman looks behind him to see Poison Ivy. Batman looks down at Sasha, who is now freed from the Dollotrons.

Batman sighs. "Ivy. Get these Dollotrons away from her. Sasha." He looks between the two of them. "Ivy?"

 _"You're_ Professor Pyg? These are _your_ Dollotrons? You like turning people into freaks?"

Batman looks around to see more Dollotrons approaching.

"Ivy…"

Without so much as looking in Batman's general direction, she raises an arm, prompting the roots to engage the Dollotrons as they please.

"You don't get off so easy, _Professor._ No man can escape nature!"

Pyg runs away as Ivy stalks him at the pace of a speed walk.

"What will you do, Batman? Lock me up in prison with freaks like Pyg?" Sasha asks.

"I'm getting you out of here. Whether you like it or not."

"We'll see about that," Sasha says as her face becomes a frown.

/

 ** _SMASH! BOOM! CRASH!_**

Roots effortlessly plow their way through solid concrete from all directions as Pyg runs away as fast as he can. He trips on a few of the roots, losing precious moments as Poison Ivy casually catches up to him.

"Where do you think you're going, you savage… you _kidnapper?_ Brute!"

"Pyg see broken. Pyg heal. Pyg thinks bigger than your limited minds can see. It's what mommy would want!"

A huge vine crawls across the floor faster than Pyg can run away. He dives before the vine crashes into a wall, tearing it down.

"SQUEEEEE!" Pyg cries in terror.

Vines creep around his legs, ready to grab him. He takes his axe and hacks at them as desperately. Ivy doesn't take kindly to his pruning. With a shout of anger, the floor bursts beneath him as flora push him through the concrete ceiling, quite possibly breaking all his bones. He finds himself on the bleachers of the stadium, covered in his own blood. He struggles to get up, but pushes through the pain. Ivy elegantly rises through the hole by riding on one of her plants.

"You can't get away with it anymore. I am Mother Nature, you lousy meat sack. And I'm not scared of you."

"Pyg only here to help. Fear is just a distraction to overcome. Pyg can remove your fear. Make you better."

"I don't want your version of better."

 **"SQUEEEEEE!"**

 _My heart beats so hard, it's all I can remember. Everything else is a blur. Even those painful memories that flashed before my eyes as I…. Did that really just happen? It couldn't have. I don't even remember it happening. It just know it felt GOOD. I just know it felt **right.** Because he deserved it. Because he destroyed so many lives. Because he strapped me down to a table and tortured me. Because he took my life._

A limp body tumbles down the bleachers, thud after thud.

 _Because I… just… took…? OH MY GOD. **I JUST KILLED HIM.**_

"IVY."

A deep chill goes down her spine. She knows exactly who's behind her, the things that must be going on in his mind.

"Batman, I—"

"What. Happened?"

Ivy turns her head behind her, then quickly turns back.

"I… don't know. It just happened… so fast. It was an accident!"

There is a lengthy silence as Batman slowly walks down the bleachers, step by step. He passes Ivy, who has a look of utter shame on her face. As he gets near the bottom, he examines the body. Ivy swallows, afraid to even move. She almost feels dizzy, like she needs to take a seat. But she can't bring herself to, despite the obvious abundance of available seating.

"This was no freak accident. You **lost control."**

"Batman?"

Batman sighs audibly. "We have _rules,_ Pamela."

"Yes, I know."

"Our only job is to keep people from getting hurt. We _don't_ do that by killing."

"I'm glad to go by those rules, Batman. I like what we do. I would never do something I believe would cause harm."

"If you're going to be my ally, Pamela, you can't get sloppy like this. You don't get another chance to fix something like this."

"I understand."

"I think you should take a break from crimefighting for a while."

"Batman, no—"

"Listen to me. Go live your life. Get your degree. Be the person you aspired to become before you got involved in my mission. Then, you have to decide. If you're **serious** that this is what you want to do. I **refuse** to work with someone who's reckless."

Ivy remains silent for a while, again. Sirens are faintly heard, gradually growing louder.

"What will become of them, Batman?"

"The Dollotrons? We can only hope that _someone_ can give them the help that they need."

Ivy finally brings herself to take a seat. "It feels so helpless. I've never been more powerful in my entire life. But it still just feels so helpless." She looks at Batman. Batman looks at her. "You're right, Bruce. Maybe I do need a break."

\- End Chapter 5 -


	6. Friend or Foe?

Batman and Ivy

Chapter 6: "Friend or Foe?"

* * *

 **A/N: A new chapter arrives! I'll try to have these chapters coming out a bit faster again. And sorry there's less Ivy in this chapter than usual. We'll be seeing more of her in this story, though I can't say the same about all the characters….**

 **Oh, and brownie points to anyone who caught the Batman and Robin quote from last chapter. :P**

* * *

"Poison Ivy. Due to the public danger of the criminal you killed, who had kidnapped both Batman and Sasha, with the attempt to mutilate said persons, as well as countless others, it is the decision of this court that you are hereby **not guilty** of murder in the second degree."

The gavel bangs. The attendees rise from their seats and applaud. Ivy turns around and modestly covers a smile of great relief. She receives many handshakes and a few hugs. She turns to Bruce, who is sitting down right behind her. He expresses a look of pained annoyance. Ivy attempts to approach him, but he calmly and steadily stands up and leaves. She tries to catch up, but the attendees thicken around her.

/

"Bruce! Bruce, wait!"

Ivy hurriedly descends the marble steps on the outside of the courthouse. She puts her hand out in front of her face to shield her eyes from the sun. Meanwhile, Bruce turns around, shadows covering his face.

"Bruce. Everything's okay now. I'll take some time off, work some more on my personal life, like you said I should, but my reputation as a hero remains intact. I'd like to help you again, sometime. I still want to be a hero."

"I may have been hasty to say I would continue your training."

"But… I don't understand. Nothing _bad_ has happened. I'm innocent, they let me keep my identity. I'll have some time to clear my head, but… I'm **learning.** I know I'll do better. I won't let you down, Bruce."

Bruce slowly climbs the steps and stops on the step just below her, such that he remains about half an inch taller than her. He turns his torso and looks her in the eyes. "You're too reckless. I won't be training you anymore."

"Then help me not to be!" she exhales.

Bruce begins descending the stairs. "I'm sorry, Pamela."

Ivy processes for a moment before following after him. "So, that's it? I'm just a killer to you? You told me what happened to your parents, Bruce. You're telling me that if people like that weren't out there, the world wouldn't be safer?"

Bruce takes a deep breath. "No. Criminals like that _wouldn't_ be walking the streets if they're _behind bars._ People have _families,_ even criminals. It's not our place to kill them."

Ivy draws nearer to Bruce and lowers her voice. "Is that why you became a crimefighter, _Batman?_ So you could save _criminals_ from being gunned down by the police?" Bruce becomes noticeably angrier. "In the heat of the moment, when a killer **murders** an innocent victim in front of you, is that the thought that races through your head as you pull all your punches?"

"I do what has to be done, Pamela. No more, no less."

"There's something about you that I don't understand. Why you're so rigid, so **obsessed** with your rules. There's something you're not telling me. Keep your secrets, Bruce."

Bruce turns and walks away from her.

\- March 19 -

In the Batcave, Bruce picks up his cowl and turns to leave the Batcave. He sees Dick running down the stairs.

"Bruce! Bruce, wait up!"

Dick makes it down the stairs. Bruce pauses for Dick without speaking.

"I was thinking, since Ivy's gonna be gone for a while—"

"Not a while, Dick. The two of us are done."

"I don't get it. She was clear of all charges. Didn't you say you would help Ivy out again when she's ready?"

"I was letting our history—her involvement in my mission—cloud my judgement. She's not the right person for the job."

"Oh. That seems kinda harsh."

"You wanted to tell me something, chum? I'm about to go on patrol."

"I just—since she's gone—Can I go with you? Please?"

"You know the answer, Dick. I look forward to the day we can fight crime side by side. I'm proud of how much you've grown. And I know there's more to look forward to. But you're too young. I'll keep training you for now. But you have to **wait.** Understand?"

Bruce climbs into the Batmobile before Dick answers.

"Oh, I understand, Bruce," Dick says to himself. "You let Poison Ivy fight crime with you before she's ready and take zero responsibility for her. Well, that's not a problem. I have to do what I think is right. I'm making this my responsibility."

* * *

Gotham is a noisy city, but among the higher levels of the towers, the sound of the wind reigns triumphant. It's quiet higher up, easier to focus. Batman's cape flaps in the wind. He turns on his infrared vision to make it easier to look for abnormalities, but he does not rely on it. Nevertheless, if it weren't for that handy tool, he would not have seen the one who dares to scale Robbins Tower.

The sleek, black figure scales the walls with seemingly no tools. But at the top, the structure widens. That's where Frank Robbins keeps his most valuable items. The thief wouldn't dare—but they do. They lash out with some sort of rope and swing themselves upwards.

Batman wastes no time pursuing. The thief spends less than three seconds silently carving a way through the chosen window. But, just before entering, the thief's head turns to see him. A pair of ears on top of the head, somewhat like Batman's cowl—a detail that might come in handy later. The figure quickly enters.

Eighteen seconds behind is an eternity when time is of the essence. Batman carefully approaches the open window. He uses the infrared once again, as seeing inside the windows without them would prove useless. There is a laser grid on the floor. Batman carefully measures his steps while walking over it. He sees no one. Just the jewelry, softly illuminated by dim, white light. There is one in the middle: An amethyst collar necklace, the purple creating a thick arc. A gold silhouette of a cat's head in the middle with a pair of emerald eyes. Suddenly—

 ** _WHAP!_**

Batman is kicked forward towards the necklace! He carefully dodges the laser grid below him. But as he tries to regain his footing, he faces a new obstacle: His utility belt is pulling him towards the necklace as well! Quickly leans back to avoid getting pulled in, but it won't be enough. He quickly grapples the ceiling to keep from being pulled in by what seems to be a very strong magnetic field.

"Aw, how considerate of you, Bat. I've always wanted a necklace just like this one. No man's ever been able to afford it for me."

The cat burglar stands beside him in all black. _Almost_ discrete if she hadn't put such obvious care into making the fabric appear shiny and factory new. And yes, complete with a set of cat ears right on top.

"That necklace is not yours to take!" Batman gasps, continuing to struggle against the magnetic pull with both hands on his grapple gun.

"But Bat… you're sending me mixed messages, darling. If you didn't want me to take it… you obviously should have just triggered the alarm for me."

The cat burglar takes the necklace from right next to Batman, as his grapple starts pulling him away from the security system's magnetic field.

"The name's Catwoman, by the way."

"Charming," Batman says, throwing a batarang at her. She leans back to dodge it. The batarang bounces off another jewelry stand and falls flat on the floor, sliding just underneath the laser grid. Batman just gets to his feet when Catwoman drop kicks Batman while lassoing him with a cat o' nine tails. Upon bouncing off him, she cartwheels between the lasers and pulls him tight with the whip to prevent _him_ from falling on the lasers. Batman takes out a batarang, ready to slice the whip, when she suddenly pulls him closer, forcing him to step forward another square in the grid.

Catwoman saunters closer to him. "Why so careful not to trigger the alarm, Bat? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you like our little game."

"As fun as this has been for you, I wouldn't test me."

Catwoman releases him and walks up to his side. They turn their heads to face each other.

"Who's kidding who?" she asks.

They are close together, nearly touching. She holds the necklace out in her hand, arm close to her body, forearm pointing upward. Just as Batman reaches for it, Catwoman hits him with an elbow uppercut. She latches onto the window with her whip and propels herself into the hole.

"Oh, and by the way, Batman…"

Catwoman drops a small, black cloth bag onto the laser grid as she backflips out the window. Red lights start flashing as an alarm goes off. Metal bars come down to seal all the exits. Batman grapples his way over to the opening in the window before the bars come all the way down, and holds it open with a collapsible nightstick. Batman dangles on the side of the building and watches the room start to fill with gas. He sees the nightstick start to bend before being flung off the window and onto the floor. He watches with frustration as Catwoman slips out of view.

\- Gotham State University -

 _There are only two courses I have to retake to get my PhD. I can do this._

Pamela Isley remembers the classroom where she studied under Jason Woodrue. B181. Nothing relieved her more than to find out she would be retaking the course in a different room. Of course, nobody knows a thing about Professor Woodrue's disappearance, but she's not truly worried about running into him again. That would be very unlikely.

"Miss Isley."

Pamela's head jolts up as she's taken out of her thoughts. She makes her way down to the professor's desk.

"Professor Oakland. I'm surprised you know my name already, among all the other students. It's only the second day of class."

"Yes, I've reviewed all of my students' records. It seems you've taken this class about eight months ago and dropped out. It was surprising, considering your impeccable academic record."

"I know. It wasn't really by choice—"

"So I hear. You've got some of the faculty here buzzing all about it."

The bell rings. All the other students begin to leave.

"To hear that one of our most esteemed professors committed a criminal act… it's just such a shock to our higher-ups."

Pamela looks nervously at all the students leaving. She then looks back at the professor.

"Professor Oakland, I'm not sure I'm comfortable being alone in a room with an older man after class."

"Ah, yes. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to intimidate you. Actually, I wanted to ask you about your thesis."

"My… thesis?" Pamela remembers how Woodrue's obsession with her research led him to commit those horrible atrocities to her.

"I mean, it seems a little far-fetched, I think? Are you sure about this?" Professor Oakland asks.

But even a little fear could never get in the way of Pamela's pride.

"Actually, I can prove to you that it's possible."

She reaches into a well-vented duffel bag and takes out a small plant. It has a red head with tooth-like structures and stretches about and fidgets about a bit to make itself comfortable.

"Truly, this is a remarkable accomplishment!" Professor Oakland exclaims. "Assuming you were the one who engineered this creature, I'd say you deserve your PhD without question."

"What do you mean by that? I would never take credit for someone else's work!"

"Your creature seems to closely resemble those that Poison Ivy uses for crime fighting."

"I—well, she saved my life. It was the least I could do for her."

"Oh. So, you work with Batman and Poison Ivy?"

"Yes. Well, no. I just—I uh…"

"Miss Isley. The university is well aware of the circumstances that made you unable to complete your courses about eight months ago. You are _notorious_ for being at the top of your class. If you can pass the final exams for all your unfinished courses, the school board will have no choice but to give you your degree. You've already done everything else you need to do. Unless—of course—you'd like to stick to your story, about how you help Batman and Ivy, who just happens to be a strikingly familiar redhead."

"Oh. Heh. Thanks, Professor," Pamela modestly delivers with a smile.

\- March 24 -

"HIIIIIiiiyyaaa!"

A man swipes horizontally with a knife. Batman leans back to simultaneously dodge the knife and kick the man against a brick wall. He cuffs the knocked-out criminal to a fire escape along with two others and lets Gordon know.

Batman watches Gordon turn off the signal later. As the thick beam of light disappears, a figure becomes visible from behind it: that of a lone woman with pointed ears waiting on the rooftop.

/

"Hello, Bat."

Batman slowly approaches from behind her.

"Are you here to return the jewelry you stole?" he asks.

"Little old me, a thief?" Catwoman turns around. "I will say there were some family jewels I had my eyes on."

Batman frowns.

"Well, I didn't steal anything _this time._ You can search me if you like," she says with a sly smile.

"You're coming with me," Batman says with a pair of cuffs in his hands.

"Oh, I don't think so," Catwoman says, drawing out her whip.

She jumps off the side of the building. Batman quickly follows to see her starting a motorcycle. Batman shoots a tracker onto her bike and remotely calls the Batmobile over.

After about two minutes, he catches up to her, having had an intercept course planned ahead. The slim width of Catwoman's bike allows her to easily weave between traffic. Batman takes a detour using a side street. He again follows his way back to her, or so he thought. He sees her on the tracker, but does not see her. He comes up next to a large, white truck and sees his tracker stuck to it. Catwoman comes up to the Batmobile, between it and the truck. She waves at him.

"Meoww," she says.

Claws shoot out of her glove. She veers towards the Batmobile and slashes at the front tire, before she screeches to a halt. The Batmobile suddenly changes trajectory and crashes into the truck, causing it to fall on its side and slide off the road.

Batman leaves the Batmobile to see Catwoman speeding away. He looks at the truck, the back doors of which busted open from the crash. Batman looks inside, and among the many boxes inside, a few are opened and empty. There is a note attached to one of the doors on the inside.

{Sorry, Bat. I guess I did steal something after all.

With MUCH gratitude,

Cat}

\- April 4 -

With hushed footsteps, a man follows close behind three others down a hallway. They are being watched from behind a sea of red. Catwoman lifts her goggles and peeks over her shoulder before entering WayneTech through a window. Someone in red and green is watching her.

Inside the building, the man continues down the hallway.

"Meoww," he hears from his right side.

He begins to approach the doorway, when he's pulled inside.

"Like a moth to my flame," a voice says.

"You!" the man exclaims.

"Drury Walker, still hanging out with the Ventriloquist?"

"Gotta make money for me and my daughter somehow. Say, are you hiring?"

"No. I go my capers solo."

"Then what are you doing here?"

"I'm just here to steal from your boss."

"What?"

/

The wooden eyes of Scarface turn to the side, followed by his head.

"Dummy!" he says, tapping the Ventriloquist's shoulder.

They look back to see only two others behind them.

"Rhino! Go make sure that no-good Mr. Walker hasn't got himself lost. An' make it fast. We need to regroup ASAP if we're gonna pull dis off."

"Yes, Mr. Scarface," Rhino says before leaving.

But as soon as he does—

"Ventriloquist and Scarface. I'm afraid wood and strings are a little low tech for a place like this. You sure you're not supposed to be somewhere else?"

They look at the boy sporting red and green.

"An' jus' who are you supposed to ge, Rogin Hood?"

"Name's Boy Wonder. And actually… this is just a costume left over from Halloween."

"I see, I see... Well, if you don' mind, I'm in the middle of conductin' some gusiness here, so why don't ya get lost, Goy Wonder?" Scarface says, raising his gun.

The Boy Wonder throws a batarang that slices Scarface's hand off, along with his gun.

"HE'S WORKIN' FER GATMAN!" Scarface gasps.

Scarface's lackey draws a pistol and fires at the Boy Wonder, who dodges the gunfire by performing a backflip, before throwing another batarang that forces the gun out of his hand as well.

"As for you, Ventriloquist, I think it's time someone else started pulling your strings," the Boy Wonder says, swinging the balls at the end of his bola.

But just then, he's hit in the head from behind by Rhino.

/

The Boy Wonder awakes to the sound of his outfit sliding across the floor.

"Look, Rhino! Li'l Rogin Hood's awake."

The Boy Wonder groans as his head aches.

"Did I miss anything interesting?" the Boy Wonder asks.

"These microchips we stole from WayneTech are a new stereotype for self-drivin' cars."

"Prototype," the Ventriloquist corrects.

"SHUT UP, DUMMY! Anyhow, all we's gotta do is sell 'em to the highest gidder, we gots ourselves some moolah. As fer you, the security here's too efficient, so too gad we can't just kill ya an' dump the gody. Gut you'll sure make a good hostage. Only thing I'm worried 'gout is that no-good Mr. Walker. What the hell is he up to?"

"How about selling you out?" a female voice says from behind them.

"Catwoman!" Scarface raises his right arm to fire at her, but his hand and gun are missing. "Aw, nuts! Rhino!"

Rhino puts the tied-up Boy Wonder down and charges at Catwoman. She flips over top of him and kicks him in the back of the head, knocking him over. Claws stretch out from her gloves. She hisses at him.

"AAAAAAaahhh!" The scream echoes throughout the entire floor.

/

The Boy Wonder looks up at Catwoman who cuts him free of his restraints.

"You're welcome, kid."

Catwoman turns her back and fans out three microchips in her hand, smiling. Just then, Batman comes in through the window.

"Catwoman?"

"I caught your stray getting in trouble with the Ventriloquist." Catwoman saunters to his side, then continues past him. "You're welcome, by the way."

"EVERYONE FREEZE!" one of four guards shouts from the complete other side of the hallway.

Catwoman makes a run for it and the guards start shooting at her. Unknown to Catwoman, one of the bullets slices Catwoman's whip as she dives out the window.

"CATWOMAN!" Batman shouts.

But outside the window, a tree branch secretly creates a safe path for Catwoman, allowing her to escape. After all the excitement, the guards round up the Ventriloquist, his two remaining henchman, and the puppet, Scarface. Batman crosses his arms and glares at the Boy wonder.

"What were you thinking, chum?"

"What was _I_ thinking? Before the guards showed up, you let Catwoman walk right past you!"

"She saved your life."

"I had it."

"You did **not** have it, and you're _just a kid!"_

"So, you turn against your friends and you help criminals when it helps _you._ This is Two-Face all over again."

Batman closes the gap between him and the Boy Wonder, then lowers his voice. "Dick, you know I would put Harvey away the moment I'm given the chance."

The Boy Wonder glares right back at him. "He isn't Harvey anymore. And Catwoman isn't your playmate just because she doesn't try to kill innocent people." The Boy Wonder walks past Batman in silence.

* * *

On the Batcomputer, Bruce looks at various photographs of him and Dick.

"Where did I go wrong, Pamela?" he says, still looking at the screen. "All I'm trying to do is keep him safe, keep everyone safe. He's stopped talking to me."

"Maybe there's something else he needs more than just being safe."

"Whatever it is, it doesn't look like I'm finding out tonight. I know you helped Catwoman escape WayneTech."

"And I know you didn't do anything to stop her, yourself. The Green told me your ward was in trouble, so I followed him there. I was a little late, so it was a good thing Catwoman was there to save him."

An awkward silence hangs in the air. Bruce takes a deep breath.

"I need your help, Pamela. Catwoman is the most cunning adversary I've ever come up against. I need you to help me catch her."

Pamela thinks for a mere second or two before speaking. "No. After what I saw tonight, I think Catwoman deserves a second chance."

Bruce nods. "I agree. Which is exactly why I intend to give her that chance."

Pamela approaches Bruce. "What do you want me to do?"

\- April 24 -

"Uufff!"

A man's body falls on the floor of a penthouse, darkly illuminated by moonlight. Above him is Catwoman, who slinks into the bedroom of Mrs. Spaghetti.

"Now, where would a woman who never sleeps keep her safe, I wonder?" Catwoman says to herself.

She lightly taps a wall. She crosses the room and taps another. She makes herself at home and stretches on the bed.

"Rrrow. I think I know what keeps you up at night."

She smacks the top of the bed and hears a metallic thud.

/

"Ugh…," the guard groans.

Catwoman pauses to glance at him, before continuing on her way out with her money bag. "Nighty-night," she says to the unconscious man. On her way out, something flings itself out against Catwoman's ankle at lightning speed, then immediately retracts just the same.

/

"How long do we have to wait?" Pamela asks Bruce in the Batcave. "This is taking longer than it took me to get my PhD."

"Pamela."

Pamela looks over Bruce's shoulder.

"Mrs. Spaghetti reported a horrid smell coming from her houseplant by her balcony door."

"The plants you had me place for Catwoman. We can track her!"

Bruce dashes out of his seat and Pamela follows just as quickly. Bruce holds her back.

"I do want you for backup. But just let me talk to her alone."

/

The shadow of blinds from the window falls across the face of a woman with short, dark hair. She is asleep in complete tranquility, one arm clutching a thin sheet across her chest, the other positioned above her head. A bigger shadow invades and covers her whole face. Her eyes dart open.

"Selina Kyle." She sees the glowing, white slits for eyes in the dark and recognizes her trespasser. "It's over, Selina."

A shadow climbs on top of Selina and hisses at Batman. She picks her cat up, rises out of bed, and sets her down.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Batman."

She walks towards the exit, but Batman grabs her shoulder. "You have one chance to pay for everything you've stolen."

Selina smirks.

 ** _RRREEEEOOOWW!_**

The cat launches itself upon Batman's face. Batman grabs the cat. Catwoman grabs her whip. With her other hand, she opens the door, prompting four more cats to rush into the room.

"Sorry, Bat. I'm afraid you've spoiled our fun."

Selina darts down the hall and towards the closest window. It quickly covers itself up with vines.

"Great. Well, it looks like I'll just have to claw my way out."

She puts on one of her gloves and claws through the vines. She whistles for her cats to come to her. Poison Ivy rides a giant leaf towards the window, several vines reaching for towards Catwoman. Catwoman throws catnip in Ivy's direction. Three of the cats start gnawing on the vines, while two of them pounce on Ivy. Catwoman latches onto the top of the building with her whip and quickly climbs up. Batman is waiting at the top for her.

She swings at him with a right hook, which Batman blocks. Catwoman uses her other hand to scratch Batman's outstretched arm. On anyone else, that tactic would work, but Batman recovers from the pain too quickly for Catwoman to push her way past him. Batman begins to grab her, but she shifts her weight, pulling them both backwards with a flip, such that she lands just on the ledge and Batman falls behind her.

"Catwoman!"

Catwoman turns around quickly and assesses the situation. She sees Ivy finally starting to subdue the cats, yet too distracted at the moment. She sees Batman falling towards the street. Not seeing any other option, she throws her whip down to him. Just before he grabs on, Catwoman quickly drops off the ledge and onto the roof to brace herself. His weight pulls her to the ledge, but she holds on with all her might. Suddenly, all the weight releases as Batman's grapple latches onto the ledge. Batman comes up above Catwoman, who remains on the ground from trying to support Batman's weight.

"You were never really gonna fall, were you?"

"I'm sorry, Catwoman," Batman says as he pulls out a pair of cuffs.

Ivy approaches the roof on her giant leaf.

"It was fun while it lasted," Catwoman expresses, admitting her defeat.

* * *

The Batmobile slows to a stop inside the Batcave. Batman and Ivy disembark.

"Well, Catwoman wasn't the scariest villain I've had to face, but she's definitely resourceful."

Batman nods his head in agreement.

"Anyway, I helped you catch her like I said I would. I suppose you don't need me anymore."

Ivy starts toward the large staircase leading out to the mansion.

"Wait." Ivy stops in her tracks. "I was willing to give Catwoman a second chance and I once again intend to do the same for you. I'm sure you'll use your chance to do the right thing."

"Thank you, Bruce."

"Just one thing. From now on, you have to do everything I tell you. No more straying from the rules."

"Deal."

With that, Ivy continues on her way out, as Batman makes his way to the Batcomputer. On the Batcomputer is a handwritten note:

{Bruce,

You made a promise to me a long time ago that you'd make things right after what happened to my parents. Instead, you shoot me down every time I want to help. When people see Batman, they think of the hero, but they don't know you as a man, like I do. You're flawed and you always insist that you're right. I need to find my own hero. Someone who can train me like you never did. I won't be gone forever, but this is something I have to do right now.

Best wishes,

Dick}

\- End Chapter 6 -


	7. The Face of a Monster

Batman and Ivy

Chapter 7: "The Face of a Monster"

* * *

 **A/N: Is Ivy going crazy? Are we going crazy? Well,** _ **something**_ **crazy's going on around here! Had much fun with the main villain in this one, in more ways than one.**

* * *

Exhaust smoke puffs out of a silver car as it begins its journey. On the car is a blue semioval shape with the word "Kord" in front. It drives out of a lot, a little girl watching out the back window. Toward her gaze is the door of the boring building she just spent over two hours in. The door indicates the closing time: 7:00pm, almost fifteen minutes ago, as the dealer is finishing his last sale with a family of four.

 _ **Tap, tap, tap.**_

The occupied man looks out the window to see Poison Ivy. Confused and a bit concerned, he leaves the family at the desk to open the door a crack for her. As he opens the door, she immediately sticks her hand out against his right hand and pushes the door, forcing him to step back.

"Uh, is there a problem, Poison Ivy?" he asks, removing his hand.

"I heard Ted Kord died a few weeks back."

"Yes, um. That was all the way in Hub City. I'm not sure—"

"This company is still the same. These cars you make are shit. Bad for the environment, you know?"

The man nervously starts scratching at his right hand.

"Hi, Ivy! I love you!" a young boy cries from the family waiting at the desk, prompting a hard smack in the back of the shoulder from his older brother.

"I think something's wrong with this picture," Ivy blurts, startling the salesman, who was just looking down at his hand.

"Yes! What's wrong with this picture?" the man asks with a sudden minute interest.

Ivy's eyes begin to glow red; her teeth begin to sharpen like fangs. **"I want one."**

The man jumps back, clutching his swollen hand against his chest with his other.

"Unless-s this is an em-mergency, you'll have to come back— **AAAAH!"**

A collective scream from the family mirrors that of the dealer, as a vine plunges through his torso. Ivy retracts the vine and dons a wicked smile as she turns her gaze toward the family. The mother begins to guide her two sons away from the scene. The father hesitates, but follows. A pair of plants on Ivy's shoulders start shooting a viscous brown goo in small spurts. One of them hits the father's side. He falls to the ground, screaming and writhing in pain, as the substance reacts with his body, releasing a long, thin stream of smoke.

Behind one of many cars, the mother muffles her younger son's screaming, praying Ivy doesn't hear. They hear the clacking of Ivy's boots as she comes near. She draws closer, making it just to the other side of that car. She stops. She walks slowly across the length of the car. She stops. She stands there. And stands there…. Suddenly! The car rises as Ivy lifts the entirety of the car above herself with her bare hands.

"Peek-a-boo. **HAHAHAHAHAHA!"** her sadistic laughter echoes.

Then, silence. Outside, a mere two minutes later, the last car leaves the dealership.

\- 2:15am -

Sixty feet up and off the ground crouches Batman atop the Gotham Tower Apartments, searching for suspicious activity using his binoculars. Then, he sees it, two miles away.

"Penny One. Isn't it a little late for the Kord dealership to be open?"

Alfred responds after a 9.5-second pause.

" _That it is, sir. According to their website, their closing time in lower Gotham is at nineteen hundred hours."_

/

Batman crosses the lot filled only with barren motor vehicles. He sees one that is broken down and abandoned. He examines it to find that it has been corroded from the inside out at the bottom of the car. He sees a faint trail of corroded footprints leading up to the door, which itself is also corroded at about eye level.

"Penny One. Chemical analysis, please."

After a few moments, _"It appears to be a soil sample. It contains 20.3 percent water, 61.2 percent of various minerals and metal oxides, and 18.5 percent organic matter."_

"18.5?" Batman asks.

" _Yes, why?"_

Batman sees the dead bodies. He moves on to find the security footage. Having seen the state of the bodies, he estimates the relevant video footage took place at quarter after seven. He sees Poison Ivy enter the dealership. He sees her eyes glow red, her teeth sharpen. He sees her attack innocents. He also notes her lifting a car above her head with her bare hands.

/

Bruce Wayne is sitting patiently, his seat facing away from the Batcomputer. Pamela trudges in.

"Bruce, what do you want? I understand your need to train me more and keep an eye on me considering all that has happened recently, but I've had a busy week applying to STAR Labs, Fluorotech, today, the Gotham Botanical Gardens… you'd think somebody would have hired me by now— _obviously_ something's wrong with them—I'm _tired,_ Bruce. Can I please take a break?"

"What color are your shoes?"

"What? Bruce, I'm not _that_ out of it—"

"What color?"

Pamela looks down. "They're green. And black. Anything else you want to know?"

"Where were you last night at seven?"

"Seven? I must have been at Gotham Botanical… I think."

Bruce looks over his shoulder at the Batcomputer behind him. Consequently, Pamela's eyes narrow as a light bulb switches on in her head. **A lie detector.**

"Wait a minute. Bruce, what is this?"

"We need to talk."

"We **are** talking."

"No. Not here."

* * *

Bruce pulls his red Rolls-Royce Phantom up to a staircase. He looks at Pamela. She gives an exaggerated shrug and gets out of the car, Bruce following.

"Bruce, I swear, whatever that **thing** was on that footage you showed me, it was **not** me."

"I know."

"So, what are we doing here?"

"Pamela, I already checked the Gotham Botanical Gardens security tapes. You started your appointment at 6:10 and left the building at 6:48."

"I told you, I don't know anything about what happened at Kord Automotive. I've been so overworked; I can't remember a damn thing!"

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of."

Bruce opens the door, waiting for her to go through. She crosses her arms, scoffs at him, and goes through the door.

"I promise it won't be that bad. Besides, we've been here before."

"Yeah. On the other side of the glass," Pamela murmurs.

"BRUCE WAYNE!" a voice shouts from down the hall. The man is short. He is wearing a white lab coat and thick spectacles. He has a beard stretching from sideburn to sideburn.

"Dr. Strange?" Bruce asks in response. "I didn't know you work here at Arkham. You're a scientist _and_ a psychiatrist?"

"It is nothing… for a mere genius such as myself. Now tell me, what brings a man of your standing to Arkham Asylum?"

"I'm worried about a friend." Pamela glares up at Bruce. "I just need you to run some tests," Bruce continues.

"What for?"

/

"A split personality," Bruce says to Pamela from the other side of a glass pane. The two of them are alone in a divided room with no one else nearby to listen.

"Why? Why, Bruce? Why can't you let me prove I'm innocent? For that matter, why don't you show the police the tape? Why subject me to this? I'm _**not**_ **crazy!"**

"I once had a friend who needed some serious help. His name was _Harvey Dent."_

"Two-Face." Bruce opens his mouth to make inquiry. "Dick may have mentioned him," Pamela continues.

"He was scarred for life when Sal Maroni threw acid in his face during his cross-examination."

"So, you think killing Professor Pyg _scarred_ me, somehow?"

"It isn't like that, Pamela. Harvey had _issues_ throughout his entire life. They didn't come out of nowhere. It's more _gradual_ than that, harder to detect if you're not paying attention. The acid was just the final straw. Harvey left the hospital before being formally discharged. He came to was hysterical, on the verge of _breakdown._ I had to _do something._ So, I helped him…."

/

Bruce slipped a black mask over his face. "Listen, Harvey. We go into the warehouse, we threaten Maroni, we take everything he's ever had, and we let the police have him."

"Yeah, yeah. I know." Harvey looks down at the silver dollar in his hand. One side of it is scratched. He rubs his finger across the scratched side of the coin.

"Harvey, let's go," Bruce says, pointing with his head, gun at the ready.

There were six of them sitting at a round table, playing cards. The lights on one side of the warehouse went out, drawing their attention. No more than a second later, there was twin pistol fire. Harvey Dent with a pair of pistols and a man in black holding his own pistol approached the six.

"Dent!" Sal screamed in shock.

"That's right, Maroni. It's me. I knew you wouldn't forget."

Harvey cocked one of his pistols and pointed it at Maroni. He gestured with his it, so that Maroni would separate from the other five. Bruce's attention momentarily shifted to the five of them, before turning his attention back to the five.

Harvey and Maroni walked up a staircase. Maroni came to a stop in front of a pillar and faced Harvey. Harvey turned him around and shoved his face into the pillar, hard. Maroni looked back at Harvey over his shoulder.

"Half of me wants to turn you into the police." Harvey took the coin out of his pocket, gliding his finger over it again. He turned Maroni around once more and shoved him against the pillar again. "But the other half…?" Harvey's head dropped down as he looked at the coin. He lifted only his eyes to gaze again at Maroni. "Remember what happened last time we took this through the legal system?" Harvey took a deep breath and glared at Maroni. "I don't know what to do. Maybe, you'll just get lucky again." He flipped the coin. The pair watched as the coin was tossed into the air. This also seemed to catch the attention of Bruce and the other five. Harvey caught the coin and uncovered it, showing his hand to Maroni. Harvey shoved Maroni once more, then turned his back and started back towards Bruce.

"Do it. Call the cops," Harvey said.

Bruce had just finished tying up the other five. He took a phone out of his pocket and dialed the police. Just then, he heard Harvey scream. Maroni had stabbed him in the leg with a knife. Bruce rushed up the stairs past Harvey and knocked the knife out of his hand. He aimed his pistol at Maroni. But, after quick, yet careful consideration, he opted to beat him up instead. After that, he drew his attention to Harvey, who was holding his leg in pain. He looked angry, not at Maroni, but at Bruce, for some reason.

 _ **CLACK!**_

"Hey!" Bruce shouted.

Bruce rushed down the stairs after one of the men fell over in his chair. On his way down, he heard some sort of arguing behind him, but he only heard Harvey's voice. Bruce knocked the knife out of the hands of the man who fell over in his chair, before looking back at Harvey, who was staring at him with the fiercest glare he'd ever seen in his life. Harvey looked at Maroni. He looked at the other five. He flipped his coin last more time.

"Harvey, what are you doing?" Bruce asked.

Harvey caught the coin, looked at it, then raised his pistols, proceeding to kill the five lackeys.

"HARVEY!"

"You ever cross me again, Maroni, I'll make you **beg** for death, you lousy son of a bitch!"

/

"So, that's what happened between you and Two-Face? You're afraid that because he was your friend, you were somehow responsible?" Pamela asks.

"Because you're my friend, I'm gonna make damn sure the same doesn't happen to you. I'm not losing you the way I lost Harvey. What he is… I can only hope he comes back from it, somehow."

There is a squeak behind Bruce as the door opens.

"You can both leave now. Pamela Isley is in perfect mental health."

"Thank you, Dr. Strange," Bruce says. "Though, there is one more thing I need you to find out."

/

Pamela lays back on a dark leather sofa, Dr. Strange hovering over her.

"You are completely relaxed, Pamela?" Pamela nods. "I need you to focus on last night. Where were you at seven o' clock that night?" Dr. Strange asks.

Pamela takes some deep breaths. She concentrates. "I was at the Gotham Botanical Gardens, just as I remember. I had just finished my interview; I had left the building. I think I saw someone breaking in. I had to take a look. They… _they were getting ready to torch the place! Right in front of my eyes!"_ Pamela says, jumping up in her seat, her eyes rushing open. She remembers shifting her skin tone and commanding her plants to grow her outfit around her body, slipping on her mask at the last moment to stop the intruder. Pamela looks at Dr. Strange. "Well, naturally, I warned the man I was going to call security straight away."

"Yes, I see. And then what happened, Pamela?" Dr. Strange inquires.

"There was a shadow. This _enormous_ shadow of a large, bulky figure. But before I could turn around…. Well, I woke up with a headache. Bruce had called me about a break-in."

"A break-in?" Dr. Strange leans forward in curiosity.

"Yes!" Bruce interjects. "I just wanted to make sure none of my friends' belongings were stolen."

"Mr. Wayne, I am sure Pamela can speak for herself," Dr. Strange delivers with a glare.

There is a silence.

"Yes, well. I believe we have everything we need. We'll just get going now," Bruce says, taking Pamela by the hand.

Dr. Strange continues to stare as the two of them leave. He looks down at the papers in his hands. He then looks up from behind his glasses.

"Your test results are most intriguing. We shall have much to discuss in the future, Pamela,"the man says to himself.

* * *

 _ **SQUEEAAAAK.**_

Eyelids flutter. Jim Gordon has been staring at the same harsh white screen for the last couple of hours, going through police reports. He takes his glasses off and rubs his eyes. He looks away from the screen and sees Harvey Bullock walk past his office.

"Detective!" Jim says, standing in the doorway. "What did you find on the Kord case?"

"Nuthin', Commish. Video evidence from the time of the crime is nonexistent."

"I asked you what you **found,** not what you didn't find, Harvey."

"There was a big ol' car with the floor completely melted away. Footprints across the lot. The impression of a hand on the doorway—no fingerprints of course—an' all of the victims had chemical burns."

"So, you're telling me that someone left a boatload of evidence at the crime scene, and yet the video tapes are missing. What does that tell you?"

"They were tryin' ta make up fer bein' sloppy."

"Were there any signs of corrosion in the security room?"

"No, sir."

"You know what it sounds like to me? Whoever swiped the evidence was **not** the same person who committed the murders."

"You don't say!" Bullock exclaims. "Then who—?"

 _ **THWAM!**_

The two of them exchange looks before heading downstairs. As they get closer, they start to hear screaming. Bullock draws his pistol. Gordon, unfortunately, does not have his on him. Bullock begins to make his way down the stairs, when an officer's body flies into the wall next to him, from across the room, before violently rolling down the stairs at the mercy of gravity. There is a red stain on the wall from the impact. Bullock sees the shadow cast on the wall: ropes, wires—no—vines. Crawling, encircling a woman. He hears gunfire, watching as the shadow flinches in pain, before shrugging it off as nothing. Gathering up all the courage, and then some… he makes his way down the stairs.

"You better stop while you still can or I'll—" He sees POISON IVY. "OH, LORD! It can't be you!"

Gordon rushes down to Bullock's side, now armed. "Ivy?" he asks. They both see the intimidating green woman with the glowing, red eyes.

"Commissioner Gordon. I want that video tape, now."

Gordon feels sick to his stomach. "And just what video tape would that be, Ivy?"

"The evidence of my break-in at Kord Automotive. I want it **now."**

"Well, it looks like we're both out of luck. That footage was missing before we ever showed up at Kord to investigate."

"I bet I know who took it," Bullock grumbles.

"Well," she says with a big smirk. "It doesn't matter, anyway. This city will never see what hit them. Look at you, warriors of the law, guns blazing! You can't even stop me. No one is safe! I will be the monster no man can run from! I will take what I want and everyone will remember the menace that is… **POISON IVYYY!"**

And like an explosion of magma, she seemingly bursts into a thick, brown sludge that quickly covers the entire room. Gordon and Bullock quickly take cover behind a desk. When they come out, they see that she is gone.

"WHAT DO I KEEP TELLIN' YA ABOUT THESE VIGILANTES?! This is exactly what happens when **ANYONE** thinks they're above the law!"

"Pipe down, Bullock!" Gordon shouts.

Bullock tears his eyes away from Gordon with contempt, before he notices smoke rising from everything in contact with the sludge.

"Those are the same exact chemical reactions from Kord Auto, Commish. You _know_ who did this."

"I know nothing, Bullock. And that certainly doesn't look like the Poison Ivy I know. But I do know one thing: No one in their right mind publicly slaughters half a dozen cops to try to hide evidence from a previous crime. Something else is going on here. I'm calling Batman in on this one. You get these fine men and women of service to the hospital. I am **not** giving up hope!"

* * *

Drops of sweat beat down Gordon's face in the Gotham night.

 _I can't believe it's almost summer already. Gotham won't last another year, the way these criminals keep getting more powerful._

He sees a vine creep over the raised edge of the roof. Poison Ivy rises to the roof, silent as a waterlily.

"You can't be here, Ivy. Right now, the evidence points at you, even though my gut tells me otherwise."

"No, Commissioner. This is exactly where I belong. We've never come up against an enemy as powerful or relentless as this poser. She's **not** going to stop anytime soon. If the public knows I'm in prison, this imposter will have to do something about it to continue her criminal acts. It's the perfect bait. If I need to be the villain for this city to see some peace, I won't be the one to stand in the middle of progress. That could never be me."

"You know you're not keeping that mask in prison?" Gordon asks.

Ivy removes the mask from her face. "I'm not letting one more human being die and taking the blame for it. The longer this goes on—even if I somehow get my name cleared—the more people will lose hope in its heroes. The more people will be scared just to go outside and enjoy what little greenery is left in this city. The more people will stop caring about the big picture that's so much harder to see—the environment, keeping the planet safe for future generations. I have to do this, Commissioner."

Gordon lets out a quick and heavy sigh. "I'm going to push your court date back as late as I can. The last thing you need is a second one."

Ivy nods. "Thank you, Commissioner."

The two of them start off the roof down the stairwell. A brief moment later, Batman glides down from above.

* * *

 _ **SLAM!**_

"Have a good night, tree hugger."

Pamela clutches the iron bars tight, turning her green knuckles white. Her intense frown barely diminishes once the guard walks out of sight. The iron bars suddenly feel wet. She takes her hands off to see the iron has slightly corroded to her touch.

"No. It couldn't have been me. I would have remembered."

She slumps down onto her bed. She hears laughing in the next cell over.

"Hey, Ivy. The moment I get outta this cell, imma wrap my hands 'round that pretty neck a' yours."

Pamela brings her knees to her chest. "What a jerk," she says just loud enough for herself to hear. She hears the man gasp, and then a crack. A shadow creeps across the front of her cell. The one casting it comes right in front of the bars.

"Batman?"

Batman produces a key and puts it in the lock. "I'm getting you out of here."

"You can't—And where did you get that key, anyway?"

He forcefully grabs her by the arm and practically drags her out into the lower floor of the common room, drawing the attention of a few guards.

"It's Batman!" one says.

"Hey! Get in your cell!" says another.

Batman rushes her towards the exit. One of the guards opens fire. A giant vine sprouts from somewhere near Pamela's feet, knocking a guard against a door so hard that the impact dents it, not to mention the poor man's back. Another vine tears through the catwalk above them and impales a guard.

"Wha—? Oh my go—?!" Pamela frantically blurts out in great fear and confusion.

Batman takes her through a couple of empty hallways, then takes her to a pair of guards guarding a double door. Vines come out and smash their skulls together. He busts the doors off their hinges, as the two of them appear in the lobby. Multiple vines lash out and attack a pair of guards and receptionist. Upon closer inspection, Pamela sees that the vines are coming from Batman's feet.

"YOU!" Pamela exclaims, pushing him away with all her might.

A pair of visitors begins to make a run for the exit, but Batman's vine smashes the wall above, dropping chunks of cement in front of the doorway.

"Don't even bother leaving," he says to them.

Pamela feels unarmed and naked in her prison uniform. But her righteous anger altogether prevents her from being afraid.

"Why are you doing this?" she shrieks.

"Recognition. Can you imagine the fear I can put into people's hearts when they know I can turn into **anyone,** even the ones they trust the most? I will be unstoppable. I can have everything I ever wanted." Batman grows about one and a half times larger, morphing into a muddy, hulking monster. "I will be the villain history never forgets, years from now. Better than the movies. I… AM CLAYFACE! HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!"

 _ **SMASSSHHHH!**_

"Eh?" Clayface asks.

Glass shatters everywhere as a shadow drops to the ground. And from the ground rises THE REAL BATMAN.

"So. We finally meet face to face." Clayface quick-jabs Pamela across the room, knocking her out.

"IVYY!" Batman screams.

"Oh, don't worry. You'll get your chance. Soon… **you'll both be dead."**

Batman throws a pair of black spheres at Clayface that land in his abdomen and shoulder. After just a second, they both explode, prompting Clayface to scream in agony. Batman rushes Clayface as he begins to regenerate the holes in his body. Batman picks up a chair and swings it at Clayface, swiping his head clean off. Clayface reaches for the absence that is his head, stumbling back a step. A head soon grows out of his torso.

"You're gonna have to try better than that," Clayface mocks.

Batman whips out a batarang and slices Clayface's head clean in half. Clayface brings his arms up to smash Batman from above, before Batman sweeps at Clayface's leg. His leg splashes into a semiliquid, causing him to lose his balance and fall over.

"Ha, ha. Real funny, Batman. I can do this all day."

Batman throws a batarang into Clayface's side. The batarang delivers an electric pulse through Clayface's body. He grunts accordingly. Batman throws two more electric batarangs into him, stunning him. Batman throws another explosive at Clayface, who dodges. Batman activates the explosive, clearing a hole in a wall. Clayface brings his fist down in the shape of a sledgehammer and smashes the desk next to Batman. The debris hits Batman, causing him to fall over. Clayface morphs his other hand into a sledgehammer and gets ready to beat Batman to a literal pulp. Batman shoots a grapple line into Clayface's eye and straight through his head. He screams in agony. Batman propels himself along the line and smashes Clayface into the wall, shocking him with the high-voltage wiring. Clayface swings around wildly, further destroying the wall, before running away to the outside. Batman chases after.

"Batman…!" Pamela rubs her head, dazed. "Are you alright?" she asks the pair of visitors. They nod and head towards the hole in the wall. "No, not that way. The wires will hurt you." Pamela strains as she attempts to lift a large, three-hundred-pound chunk of cement. She finally succeeds and tosses it aside. She looks through the hole in the wall to see Batman fighting Clayface. "Oh, eff this. No one's gonna blame me for property damage." She promptly calls the plants outside to smash through the entrance and clear a safe path for the visitors. "You're welcome," she says before running out after Batman and Clayface.

When she gets outside, Clayface forms a giant claw with yard-long fingers. He shoots the sharp fingers out at Batman, who gracefully dodges them.

"WHY won't you JUST DIE?!" Clayface screams.

Clayface is suddenly thrown across the lawn, rocketing at the speed of a basketball.

"You think you can get the best of me, Clayface?" Pamela boasts.

A tree in one corner of the lawn picks him up and smacks him towards another tree. Then another, and another, until he lands in the ground, creating a massive crater. Clayface groans softly, taking a while to stand back up.

"That's it, lady. I'm killing you first."

"Just try."

The nearest tree reaches across the lawn and pulls him in close, keeping him firmly in place. Clayface splits into pieces like mud passing through a colander, passing through to the other side unharmed.

"Heh heh. Nice try."

Dirt rockets into the air on either side of Clayface, as if erupting from a volcano. Roots suddenly pull him into the ground, trapping him there. The night is suddenly quiet.

"Hm," Batman comments.

"You've got something on your boot," Pamela says to him.

He looks down to see mud on his boot that seems to be smoking slightly.

"Probably best to wash that off soon as possible."

"I see," Batman responds.

The ground erupts once again, Clayface emerging from a large plume of dirt. Clayface screams at the top of his lungs in anger. Pamela trains her eyes on the sight, horrified at the creature's might. Batman, meanwhile, takes a look at the prison courtyard.

"Ivy. Make sure Clayface doesn't free any of the guards."

Clayface grins and makes his way toward the walls of the courtyard. He takes a leisurely stroll, barely keeping his head turned to the side to keep an eye on Batman and Pamela.

"Batman—"

Batman holds Pamela back as she attempts to leave for Clayface. Clayface brings his arms up high and smashes straight through the courtyard. Batman slips and explosive into his hand.

"Aw, what are ya gonna do now, little bat?"

"This."

Batman throws one last explosive at Clayface, detonating it upon impact. Clayface falls back on top of the prison's emergency generator.

 _ **AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!**_

Batman and Pamela hear a thump from afar. They take their time to carefully approach. They hear a soft groan.

"Heh… heh…. Good…. Fight…."

Clayface turns to dust in front of their eyes.

* * *

Wind howls among the peaceful quiet of the pre-dawn morning. Footsteps are heard walking down the sidewalk.

"… _so-called 'Clayface' that framed Poison Ivy for murder died fighting Batman and Ivy, who we now know to be a Dr. Pamela Isley. Some Gothamites worry that the outing of her secret identity may make it easier for so-called 'super villains' to make an attempt…"_

Footsteps make a turn and continue down an alleyway.

"I know who you are."

There is a brief silence.

"Heh. It was quite the act, wasn't it? Then… you know what I can do." The dark figure of Clayface emerges from the shadows.

"Oh, I know. That's exactly why I want you."

The second person produces a futuristic gun of some sort.

"Is that supposed to scare m—"

Clayface is silenced as he's frozen in place by what seems to be a freeze ray.

"Indeed not." The man reveals himself to be Dr. Strange.

\- Seven years ago -

Bruce looked at the gun in his hand. He passed it over to one of the police officers.

"You sure you don't want to hold onto this in case you ever run into more trouble in the future?" she asked.

Bruce shook his head. "I don't want anything to do with them anymore."

Bruce looked over at his friend Harvey, who was being forced into an ambulance, accompanied by more officers.

"Bruuce! BRUUUUUCCCE! Don't you let them take me! After everything I've ever done for you, you turn me in?! How could you?!"

Bruce simply dropped his head in shame.

"I know what you did. I know what you are! You're no better than me, you HYPOCRITE! You can't hide from your _best friend,_ Bruce! **BRUUUUUUUUCCE!"**

\- End Chapter 7 -


	8. Judgement

Batman and Ivy

Chapter 8: "Judgement"

* * *

 **A/N: Okay. I've teased you all enough. Here come the final three chapters of the story, and an important truth that will decide the fate of our main protagonists!**

* * *

A paper cup, a paper plate, a paper bowl with food in it. A plastic spoon, but never a plastic fork or knife. He walks his way through the noisy cafeteria, looking for someone to talk to. He sees the Tweedles at one of the tables.

"An' can ya believe dey replaced da generator already after jus' four days?" one of them asks.

"Hey, guys! How's life without the Hatter?" the man asks them.

The two of them look at him, then proceed to ignore him.

"Uh, you guys must be feeling lonely, am I right?"

"Hey, Drury. I think someone might be looking for you," a brunette woman who's with them says.

But instead of turning around of his own accord, someone grabs his shoulders from behind and spins him around.

"Floyd!" Drury says, attempting to replace his fear with excitement.

"Don't you 'Floyd' me, dickwad!" says a mustached man. "Remember a year ago, when **you** asked to be a lookout for me, then **you** decided to take a selfie with the flash on and revealed my location and got me caught? **This** is why I work alone. Hey, I heard you screwed the Ventriloquist over, too. How 'bout I shove this plastic spoon down your throat and do a favor for the both of us?"

"Help me!" Drury pleads to no one in particular.

 _ **BOOMMM!**_

There is a flash of light and a rumble that knocks everyone off their feet. The ceiling of the commons area crumbles, dropping huge chunks of cement and crushing inmates and guards at random.

 _ **KA-THWAMMMM!**_

One of the walls bursts open in a fiery explosion, throwing people across the room.

"Thank you!" Drury says as he looks to the heavens.

He rushes towards the opened path, as do many others, the Tweedles apparently among them. He gets pushed and shoved around, knocked to the ground and nearly trampled on. He looks up from the ground and sees a man excitedly jumping around, waving his hands in the air.

"Yesss. Burn! You can't imprison pure, **burning** fire!"

The overexcited man also notices him.

"Ah, shit. Firefly," he says to himself.

The one called Firefly begins running towards Drury; Drury in turn sprints to the exit. A small crowd of them make it outside in the hot night summer air. He pants, his heart races, as he runs for safety. Drury makes his way through some tall grass, until he gets to the end, falling down a hill. He tumbles down to a tiny bridge over a creek. He sees the Tweedles.

"Hey! Guys!" He quickly looks back at the top of the hill, then immediately gets up and makes his way towards them. "We didn't get to finish our conversation back there. I'm just saying, I might be able to hook you guys up—"

They immediately pick him up and throw him off the tiny bridge, into the creek. He groans and passes out. One of them peeks back over the hill to see if they were followed.

"Aaaah!"

"Aaaaaaahhh!"

"Shh!"

Tweedledee meets Firefly. Firefly then sees Drury knocked out in the creek.

"Forget about him," Firefly says to the Tweedle. "I just met someone who wants to give us the deal of a lifetime."

Tweedledee sees a shadowed figure leaning on a tree.

* * *

{Pamela, Trainee}

Pamela adjusts her STAR Labs nametag to make sure it's perfectly straight.

"If you would follow me, please, Pamela."

"It's Dr. Isley."

She walks through the white, tall, and spacious halls of STAR Labs, brightly illuminated by its large windows. Dr. Simmons shows her the cafeteria, the greenhouse, the roof. He intends to save the laboratories for last, but they pass a television on their way there.

"… _rather bizarre attack on Blackgate Penitentiary last night. Officials are unsure if the attack was intended on freeing or killing the prisoners, but there have been some escapees. Police are currently investigating the scene. Word is, Batman is currently on the case."_

"Oh, Dr. Isley. I _can_ count on your attendance here in accordance with our schedule? Do keep in mind that the police and Batman are already keeping our city safe. I don't mean to come off as distrustful, but I'm sure the last thing you'd like to do is make a bad impression on your first week at the job."

Pamela gives an irked smile and takes the lead towards the laboratories.

"Never meet your heroes," he says to himself with a sigh.

* * *

 _ **CRACK!**_

Batman forces a rifle down on his knee, severely damaging it.

"Give it up, Deadshot."

"Give up? Only reason I ain't killed you yet is I only kill for money. You could be worth a fortune to me someday."

Deadshot fires his wrist-mounted guns into the Kevlar of Batman's suit. He brings his knee up into Batman's chest and hits him in the side of the head with a left cross, following that up with a right-handed punch straight to the face. Batman pulls Deadshot towards him and rolls onto his back, swinging Deadshot over him and into a wall. Batman grabs the bent sniper rifle and swings it, hard.

" **Aaah!"**

/

Deadshot and four other criminals are driven away in the back of an armored truck.

"Thank you for your help, Batman. Due to the recent catastrophe at Blackgate, a large majority of our prisoners are being transferred to Belle Reve," a guard tells him.

"I want to know exactly how it happened."

"Sure thing," the woman says. "There were two helicopters. One of them unleashed a pair of miniguns on the guards posted outside. The other one— **BOOM!** —a pair of secondary high explosives. The second one hit the kitchen and ignited a fire. About half our prisoners were killed in the fight. The rest tried to escape."

"Two helicopters. Two explosions. Secondary explosives. And the prisoners were either killed or given a chance at freedom."

"It's a suspicious pattern, to say the least."

* * *

Pamela sits back in a chair next to a woman who is leaned over, peering into a microscope.

"Tell me, Ms. Adams, how would you classify this plant?"

"I'd say it's of the Rhamnaceae family, but it'd be a whole lot easier if you just gave me the plant."

"This plant doesn't exist anymore. It is the Saint Helena olive, extinct since 1994. By **human** interference."

"And you're telling me this because?"

"Because you're going to help me bring it back," Pamela says, narrowing her eyes with confidence.

"Do what now?" Ms. Adams asks. "Even if it were possible, I don't think Dr. Simmons or any of the other scientists around here would like you messing around on your first day."

"This city very well belongs to Batman. But my mission is much more immense. When I'm not busy _giving_ to a community that only cares about how big a house they can afford or which presidential candidate can get them the biggest tax cuts, I travel the **world** , looking far and wide for every plant species that is extinct or in danger of being extinct. I go to my lab. My work is on a level far smaller than the human eye can see. I do what I can to create species that are more resilient. People are constantly developing new technologies, but at what cost? The earth won't be habitable without the plants we take for granted.

"You know, Batman says I'm impatient," she continues. "You can think whatever you like of me, but one thing I always get is **results.** So, you can either leave now and report to Dr. Simmons, or you can put on some gloves and goggles and work on getting a promotion."

"God, I swear you college kids are all the same." Ms. Adams goes into the storage room in the back, which is illuminated solely by the bright sunlight coming in through the lab. There is a clatter.

"Ms. Adams? Alisa?"

"Yes, I'm sure you take quite a toll, leading a double life," a man responds from inside the storage room. He steps out of the shadows and into the light, putting on a grin that lacks all fear.

"You… you're Two-Face. How did you get in here?"

"I've been keeping tabs on you, Dr. Isley," Two-Face replies, continuing to close the gap between them.

"Why me? You don't even know me."

"But doesn't everyone?" he says with a wider grin.

"You don't know me _personally."_

"But I know **Batman."**

"What do you know about Batman?" Pamela asks, squinting her eyes apprehensively.

"You know the saying. 'Good things happen to those who wait.' Of course, I don't buy it."

"I heard you haven't been spotted in Gotham for over two years. It's going to be hard to hide from everyone when you're rotting away in Blackgate."

"I don't plan on hiding anymore." Two-Face slips her several photographs. "That's Blackgate right now. I aided the escape of a few of its inmates. You can imagine how grateful they are. They answer to me now. You'll see what we have in store sooner or later. Batman will eventually catch on to me. But…" Two-Face clasps his hands. "I came here for a singular purpose. The second part is up to you. I have a message for Bruce."

" **Then talk to Bruce yourself,"** Pamela says, as a mesh-like shadow of vegetation slowly block the sunlight from entering the room.

"Go ahead, Ivy. I won't think any less of you if almost a hundred people burn to death due to your reckless impatience. You've seen the photos; call my bluff!" Two-Face scowls at Pamela and nods his head. "You can't trust Bruce Wayne. He betrayed us and he'll betray you, too! Ask him about the warehouse. Tell him I want 22 million dollars for what he did to me. And…"

" _Detective Montoya, we have a 10-80 on Aparo Expressway, heading North," a voice says from a walkie in Two-Face's hand._

"I'm about ten steps ahead of the police. No tricks. I'll let myself out."

The thick shadow of vegetation in front of the window disappears. Pamela watches as Two-Face leaves.

* * *

The clacking of Pamela's shoes echo across the Batcave.

"I heard about Blackgate, Bruce. I'm really sorry I wasn't there to help."

She sees Alfred attending to Bruce's cuts and bruises. Half his torso is discolored from injury.

"Oh my God, Bruce!"

"How was your first day of the job?" Bruce asks.

Pamela pauses. "You'll never believe this…. Two-Face was there."

Bruce pushes Alfred's hands back as he's treating him. He turns around and stands. "What did he want?"

"He said he wanted you. But… in this state—"

"Tell me when and where."

"Bruce."

" _Now,_ Pamela," Bruce says, drawing closer to her.

Pamela hesitates. "He said something about a warehouse. I think he wants you to come alone. But, in your condition—"

"No buts. This is between him and me. He's angry at me about something, not just about turning him in—There's more. If I can just find out what it is…. I've **got** to get through to him!"

Pamela glares. "No, Bruce. He came to me. He made this my problem, and I'm not letting you go alone. The warehouse he referred to—Do you know if there are any plants around it—something I can use to monitor the situation?"

* * *

Two-Face paces near one of the warehouse windows, the light and shadows crossing his face.

"Where's your friend, Harvey?" he asks.

" _He'll be here. You can count on it," he replies to himself._

"I promised you I'll make him pay."

A low-pitched metallic squeak echoes, drawing his attention.

"I'm here, Harvey."

Two-Face smiles. A henchwoman and a henchman guard the door Bruce enters. They all wait as Two-Face saunters down to him. He reaches out and grabs one of Bruce's shoulder's, hard, causing him to reach for his own shoulder in pain.

"I see… you've been out all night," Two-Face says. Bruce looks at him with a hard stare. Two-Face pulls him hard, causing Bruce to drop the briefcase of money, which Two-Face gives no attention to. He puts one of his guns to Bruce's head. "Alright, then. Where's your friend?"

/

Behind a tree, Ivy gasps and opens her eyes wide, breaking her intense concentration. She rushes toward the complex, only to be sprayed by a thick mist. She immediately starts coughing, and sees Tweedledee and Tweedledum approach her. She blacks out.

/

"GET UP!"

Ivy's body tumbles across the floor. The Tweedles grab her and cuff her wrists to a rail.

"You know, Bruce… I wanted to do this a lot sooner, but the coin said it wasn't time. But now that there are _two_ of you, the timing couldn't be better."

"What are you talking about, Harvey?"

Two-Face leans over him, hands behind his back. **"I know you're Batman."**

Bruce glares at him. "Harvey, this is insane. Neither you nor I have even seen him before!"

"No. No, of course not," he says, shaking his head. "You've only appeared in Gotham at the same time, and the money trail leads straight to you. The Batman has more resources than the goddamn GCPD. I'm your _best friend_ and _former district attorney!"_ He slaps Bruce across the face. "DO I LOOK LIKE A FREAKING IDIOT TO YOU?!"

Two-Face breathes deeply. He turns his attention to Ivy. He walks past her and continues towards a television. He turns it on.

"This is City Hall. I currently have Garfield Lynns, Firefly, under my employ. Now, these are the people who run a city corrupt enough to let people like Sal Maroni and Joe Chill slip through the system. Firefly will be more than happy to set off an incendiary in the middle of an important council meeting that's being televised live, at this very moment.

" **YOU,** Bruce Wayne, repeatedly take the law into your own hands in an attempt to deliver justice where the system fails. Of course, there are _two_ main differences that set you apart from traditional law enforcement. One: Your extensive foundation of resources that… you'd rather use for yourself than use to directly equip local law enforcement. Two: Your twisted sense of morality has evolved to be shockingly more repulsive than that of the law!"

"You're one to talk of morality, Harvey!" Bruce interjects.

Two-Face smiles. "But the difference is, I accept it. You're a pretender, a liar, a **hypocrite!"** Two-Face exhales. Bruce glares at him. "February 26, 2010. Tell her what happened, Bruce. Tell your partner, Poison Ivy, exactly what you are. Because I will give you exactly **two seconds!** before I tell Firefly to extinguish nearly a hundred lives in City Hall. Think about it… Batman."

"Alright, Harvey! Ever since my parents were murdered, I wanted **one thing…"**

/

"So, son. Was that the best movie you've ever seen?"

"There was so much blood! It was awesome! Hey, Dad! Try to keep up!"

The son ran ahead of the father. He turned a corner, out of his view.

"Wait!"

There was a shadow of a man in an alley. The loud echoes of a gun.

"Dad!"

Bruce looked back at the child. The child of _Joe Chill._ Bruce's parents were killed in Crime Alley by the criminal named Joe Chill. All for a necklace. The man hadn't deserved to live. And yet… Bruce had just done the same to his son. Bruce **killed** Joe Chill in the presence of his son.

/

"I don't understand. How did you know about that day, Harvey?"

"Because I was there! You think I don't know what that man did to you? I was gonna kill him for you!"

Bruce nods his head. "No. I was wrong. Harvey—"

"March 2, 2012. The day at the warehouse. Explain to me how you repaid the favor."

"March 2. Seven years ago… Sal Maroni… I came with you, Harvey. I _helped_ you."

"No. No, you didn't."

/

Harvey turned Maroni around and shoved his face into the pillar, hard. Maroni looked back at Harvey over his shoulder.

"Half of me wants to turn you into the police." He turned Maroni around once more and shoved him against the pillar again. "But the other half…?" Harvey's head dropped down as he looked at his coin. "Remember what happened last time we took this through the legal system?" Harvey took a deep breath and glared at Maroni. "I don't know what to do. Maybe, you'll just get lucky again." He flipped the coin. The pair watched as the coin was tossed into the air. This also seemed to catch the attention of Bruce and the other five. Harvey caught the coin and uncovered it, showing his hand to Maroni. Harvey shoved Maroni once more, then turned his back and started back towards Bruce.

"Do it. Call the cops," Harvey said.

Bruce had just finished tying up the other five. He took a phone out of his pocket and dialed the police. Just then, he heard Harvey scream. Maroni had stabbed him in the leg with a knife. Bruce rushed up the stairs past Harvey and knocked the knife out of his hand. He aimed his pistol at Maroni. But, after quick, yet careful consideration, he opted to beat him up instead. Harvey looked at the scene with intense rage.

"Look at your friend, Harvey. He betrays us. Bruce doesn't care about you."

" _That's not true. You know it's not. He's cared about us from the beginning. He came here for us."_

"Sal Maroni betrayed your mercy, and your friend Bruce permits it!"

Bruce turned around and looked at Harvey with obvious confusion on his face. But his attention turned to one of Maroni's men who was trying to escape….

/

"Harvey. I couldn't kill him," Bruce pleads with Two-Face.

"I WAS GOING TO KILL CHILL FOR YOU! But you… you _hesitated_ when you had Maroni's life in your hands. You couldn't do it. You couldn't do it for your friend. You killed for yourself, for your family, but you couldn't do it for me!" Tears fly off Two-Face's face as he yells at Bruce. "You… your vengeance is **biased** and **selfish!** I… HATE… you," Two-Face says, his head **trembling** with fury.

Bruce looks at Ivy. She doesn't return his gaze. Instead, she also seems angry. Disappointed, perhaps. Two-Face walks over to her.

"You think you can save a city with this man?" he says, pointing at him. "Bruce is everything that's wrong with this city. And the people who govern the law in this city are equally as guilty. Thank you for finally admitting what we all needed to hear, Bruce. But you can't save this city." Two-Face produces a remote and turns the volume up on the television. Bruce and Ivy exchange worried looks. Two-Face produces a walkie. "Do it, Firefly. Make this city **burn."**

Incendiaries burst with strength, power, and bright orange flashes. Screams break out from all sides of a large crowd. They knock each other over and stumble upon one another, fully taken over by fear. They approach the exit, but they are knocked back as Firefly kicks the door open and sprays them with a stream of fire. From the outside, nearly half the building is obscured in smoke.

Two-Face looks the two of them in the eyes. "There is one last thing to be decided before we can call it a day." Two-Face's henchwoman goes up to one of the catwalks and opens a gate. Below the gate sits a gigantic vat of boiling acid. Two-Face takes his coin out of his pocket. "Bad heads, you pay the price of your immorality, Bruce. Good heads, you have a chance to live a better life." Two-Face unceremoniously flips his coin and catches it, enclosing it in his fist. "But one of you dies today. Either way, you **will** pay, Bruce."

He signals to the henchwoman, who brings Bruce closer to where Two-Face and Ivy are situated. There is a metallic clack as he slaps his hand on a wooden desk and uncovers the coin. He signals the henchwoman again.

"Don't do this. Harvey. Harvey! You're better than this!"

The henchwoman begins to drag the battered and bruised Bruce Wayne across the catwalk. Ivy struggles in her restraints, intent on stopping his demise.

"I see you seem to have trouble escaping." Two-Face smiles at her.

Ivy slowly calms herself, as she looks into Two-Face's eyes. "Free me. I know you don't want to do this. A lot of people are depending on you to do the right thing. **I'm** depending on you to do the right thing. You can earn my respect. You _want_ to free me. You _want_ my respect…."

Two-Face snickers. "What's the matter? You're not gonna tear this place down with your vines? Bruce's judgement is final and there's nothing you can do about it. That mist you were sprayed with was weed killer. It was Tweedledum's idea, and it seems to be working quite well. I was right to hire him." He pushes her back and she stumbles a bit, feeling a bit lightheaded.

Bruce shifts his weight and knocks the henchwoman off-balance. He tries to roll into a standing position, but the Tweedles quickly grab him on both sides. Ivy yanks at the cuffs with the weight of her whole body. It does no good. She strains as she sees him get closer. They take him up the stairs. She shuts her eyes closed and concentrates. A thin stream of smoke rises from behind Ivy's back. She opens her eyes. She sees Bruce; he is almost at the gate.

"So, yer a billionaire, eh, purdy boy?" one of the Tweedles asks.

"We might ditch Two-Face if ya willin' ta pay us big-time," the other says.

"I'll never help you," Bruce asserts.

"Suit yourself."

Ivy pulls against the cuffs with all her strength as the smoke grows thicker. She looks at Bruce and the Tweedles. They begin to pick him up over their heads. Ivy gives one last yank, leaving the cuffs behind to make a loud clanking sound against the railing.

Two-Face and the Tweedles all look at her. She crosses a henchman in the face and throws him over a rail leading down one floor.

"No, NO!" Two-Face cries.

Ivy draws a gun she took from the henchman and aims it at Bruce. Despite the brilliant idea in her head of shooting the ropes free of Bruce, she doesn't have the aim for it. She considers taking out the Tweedles. Would it make a difference? Does any of this make a difference now that Bruce is a killer?

"Bruce!" she shouts, throwing the gun at him. Despite not being able to move very well, he catches it and shoots the ropes off his person.

The henchwoman opens fire on Ivy, who takes cover by getting lower on another staircase.

"No, not her! Shoot at Bruce, you fool!" Two-Face shouts.

Bruce elbows one of the Tweedles in the head. He uppercuts the other under the chin. The henchwoman opens fire on Bruce, who ducks and runs at a low posture, perpendicular to the shooter's line of sight.

Two-Face looks back at his henchwoman and the other three. He then turns his sights to Ivy's last position and pursues.

Bruce hops onto a rail and kicks off a wall, lowering himself a level. The Tweedles recover and pursue after him. The henchwoman continues firing wildly, blocking off the Tweedles.

"Hey, watch your fire!" they shout at her.

The henchwoman turns her gaze back to Bruce's position. She doesn't see him.

"Aw, shi—" She's knocked out from behind.

/

Two-Face goes down the stairs as fast as he can. The lower level is the darkest, but it's not supposed to be, and he knows that. He makes his way to the office to get to the controls for the lights. He moves into the office quickly, aiming his guns in case Ivy is around. He puts one of his guns into his pocket and turns on the light switch with his other hand.

"Gahh!"

He gets hit in the side of the head with a picture frame and drops the gun. She follows up with a punch straight to the face. He stumbles back and catches himself against the door frame. He glares at her.

"Why are you siding with him? Don't you know what he is?"

"Whatever Bruce did, he is a hero. He is my friend."

"He was my friend, too. He'll betray you, trust me."

Ivy charges at him. Two-Face steps back and uses her momentum against her to swing her around him and throw her against the ground.

"This ends _now."_ Two-Face takes a remote out of his pocket, notably not the television remote. He presses a button. **"In two minutes, this warehouse will be a smudge on the map."**

/

The Tweedles jump down to Bruce's level, dramatically shaking the catwalk. One of them produces a baseball bat and taps it against his hand. They charge at him simultaneously. One of them takes a horizontal swing with the bat. Bruce ducks under and sweeps the other, such that he flies forward. The one with the bat repeatedly swings vertically at Bruce, until Bruce karate chops, forcing the bat out of his hand. The other Tweedle gets up off the floor and charges at Bruce again.

/

Two-Face kicks Ivy onto the floor. They hear the grunts of the men fighting above. The clock is ticking. Bruce runs up the staircase back to the top level as the Tweedles pursue. Bruce manages to kick one of them down the stairs, but the other Tweedle forces him to retreat to the gate. Two-Face draws his other pistol. Ivy rolls as he shoots a bullet at her. Two-Face smirks, then takes aim at Bruce.

"Bruce!"

Two-Face shoots a bullet, but it lands in the head of Tweedledee. Ivy gasps. Tweedledee's mouth gapes open. He falls backward toward the pit of acid.

"DEEVER!"

Tweedledum rushes past Bruce and dives after him.

"Tweedledum, no!" he shouts after him.

But it's too late. Two-Face shoots three more bullets at Bruce before Ivy dives onto Two-Face. He shoots one last bullet, which grazes Ivy's neck. Reacting in pain, she releases him and holds her neck. He throws her off. He tries to shoot her, but the gun is empty. He hits her with the butt of his gun. He sees Bruce running closer and decides to run off. Ivy holds her neck and forehead, reeling in pain, as Bruce approaches.

"Bruce… he set a bomb. It's about to blow… RIGHT NOW!"

Bruce and Ivy rush out. The place blows up behind them. Two-Face is ahead of them, getting away. Bruce whips out a batarang.

"I brought one under my clothes, just in case."

He takes aim and throws it.

* * *

It is a room filled with silence. On one side of a glass pane in Arkham Asylum sits Two-Face; Batman is on the other side of the glass. Ivy watches from across the hallway as they sporadically talk out of earshot.

"You are friends with Bruce Wayne _and_ Batman?"

The voice startles Ivy. She turns around to see Dr. Strange.

"Unfortunately."

"Would you like to talk about it?"

Ivy gives a courteous smile. "No, thank you." She walks over to the Mad Hatter's cell and sees the news. He frowns and retreats into a corner.

" _It is an unfortunate loss for all of us. 56 people dead, 17 others injured. The mayor… sadly, gone. The only relief, Garfield Lynns, A.K.A. 'Firefly', has been taken into custody by the police."_

"Let's go."

Ivy looks at Batman, who is now… ready to leave.

"You go, Bruce. I'm taking a cab."

"Pamela—"

"This is all too much for me. I need to be by myself right now. I'm glad this is finally over for you. Good-bye, Bruce." She looks down and stays put. Batman heads towards the exit, passing by a few more cells.

"Doctor Strange?" The short man quickly makes his way over to Batman. "Isn't that the Joker's cell?"

Dr. Strange looks to his side, then turns back to Batman and puts his hand on his shoulder.

"It would be best if the public didn't know about this." He leans in towards Batman and whispers. "I think I know where you can find him." He continues to speak to him in a hushed tone.

Batman looks back at Ivy, and then at Dr. Strange. Batman sets off to capture the Joker on his own.

\- End Chapter 8 -


	9. The Clown Who Stole the Knight

Batman and Ivy

Chapter 9: "The Clown Who Stole the Knight"

* * *

 **A/N: "Wait a minute, SV. I thought you said there were two more chapters. We now know that Bruce inadvertently killed Chill in the presence of his own son, and that's why Two-Face is so angry. But, Two-Face is defeated. What else could there possibly be? And why pull the Joker out of the blue?"**

 **Oh. You mean like a thing with all the villains being guided by one bigger villain, like in Knightfall or Hush? "It was him/her the whole time!" No, that's not the purpose of them at all. And don't ask me to explain Joker. Even the Joker can't explain the Joker.**

 **PS: I've now edited the wording in the last chapter, so it's more obvious that Bruce killed just Joe Chill, not his son, too. :3**

* * *

"Still no signal, Penny One?"

 _"I'm sorry, Miss Isley. I am not able to locate the Batmobile. Speaking of, there **is** more than one Batmobile. Why not take Bruce's backup?" _Alfred says over radio.

"My identity is _public,_ Penny One. I'd rather stay eco-friendly."

 _"Still, I would feel **much** more at ease, were you driving a **tank** over a brittle electric box."_

"Thank you _very much,_ Penny One. I'm just gonna find Bruce. You… tell me if he shows up on the news or something."

Ivy's green-and-white electric car speeds down the boulevard. After a few minutes of driving, she comes up to a red light. She looks down at her GPS.

 _Well, if Bruce is missing, maybe Gordon will know something._

She turns her head, seeing just a sliver of the GCPD in the distance, covered behind the Second National Bank. The light turns green. Her engine purrs as she moves forward. As she draws nearer to the building, she sees a pair of men juggling beer bottles in the street.

"Ahahahahahaha!"

She hears the men laughing. There are others watching, laughing, also. There is a woman, bent over backwards on all fours, like a table. Another woman is attempting to balance random objects from the dumpsters on her belly, but she is unable, due to the laughter of the woman who is bending.

Ivy comes to a stop. She pokes her head out the window. "Excuse me." No response from the jugglers in the street. "Excuse me!" No response. Ivy lets out an exasperated sigh and exits the vehicle. Two of the spectators point at the superheroine and laugh. One of the jugglers looks at her. A beer bottle smashes into his belly. And then the second. He keeps laughing.

"Would you mind getting out of the street, please? I have somewhere I have to be!"

The jugglers exchange looks, then laugh even harder. The woman balancing objects on her belly collapses in laughter. Ivy airs a disgusted sigh and enters Finnigan's, which is a bar that the Gotham police often tend to visit. She sees a group of five cops in there. They point at one another in boisterous laughter, and one of them is on the floor, dancing like a worm… or something. She slows a bit, nearly stopping, but immediately moves on to the bartender. She smiles at Ivy with pursed lips, before uncontrollably letting out a giggle.

"What the hell is going on here?! Are you all _drunk? You,_ the bartender? Drunk cops on duty? What the hell?!"

 _"UhhHh…_ I don'T think i'm dRunk. Ahaha HA HA!" She pounds the counter in laughter.

Ivy scrunches up her face in anger and leaves for the exit. The cop on the floor grabs her ankle, laughing so hard, he seems to be out of breath. She shakes her leg and continues outside. The jugglers are throwing beer bottles at her car.

"Ah! HAHAHA! Bet Batman wouldn't let us git away with this!"

Ivy grits her teeth. "I don't have time for this. I have to find Batman." She gets in the car and closes the door.

 **"I'm Batman!"** one of the jugglers exclaims.

"No, you're _drunk."_

A tree grabs the jugglers by the ankles and whips them off the road and into the soft grass. Ivy drives away. Unseen to her, a green gas is seeping out of an air vent in the bar….

* * *

Ivy's tires squeal a bit as she comes to a stop in a parking space across from the GCPD. She unbuckles her belt, gets out, and closes the door, all in only about one second, if it were possible. Her hurried footsteps echo as she makes her way up the stairs to the front door. Before even opening the door, she hears voices. Then she opens it….

 ** _HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!_**

The entire precinct seems to be bursting with laughter. She slowly, clumsily walks in, feeling mentally disoriented.

"He's stealing my money! Ha ha ha ha!"

With that, she springs into action. She speed-walks past a semi-sporadic crowd at almost a jogging pace. As she journeys deeper into the precinct, she sees men wearing clown masks.

"Hahaha! Aha ha ha ha!"

A cop has his hands cuffed behind him, as he gets assaulted by clowns, rifling him for valuables. The clowns look at Ivy. One of the clowns jumps back a bit, draws a gun, then inadvertently juggles it to keep it from falling. The others begin to draw their guns, but the first clown's gun flings itself out of his reach, causing him to crash into the other clowns to attempt to retrieve it.

 ** _SMASH!_**

Vines promptly crash through the windows behind them, propelling forward a cloud of glass shards, as the vines wrap around the men and grab them, slamming them into the walls. Apart from background laughter, this room instantly goes silent from the clash.

 _Joker…!_

Ivy is nothing short of infuriated by now.

 ** _squeaksqueaksqueaksqueak_**

…Ivy looks behind her as a clown wheels a TV toward her. Two more clowns are behind them, their weapons nonthreateningly in reach, resting on their torsos. Joker is on the television.

 _"Well, well, well. Look who it is."_

Ivy's eyes flick back up at the clowns. Vines pick them up and pin them against the walls. Another vine shuts the door for her. She turns her attention to the television.

"What do you want, Joker?"

Joker's mouth flings open, his hand darts to his breastbone, and he gasps. _"Whuh? Are you **joking?** I just want to spend some quality time with my two BFFs! Hehehehm!"_ He forms a cartoonishly large smile, his lips fully closed.

Ivy crosses her arms, unamused. Joker frowns in response to her silence.

 _"Oh, don't worry about your bat-friend, Ivy. He's safe and sound with me. **For now.** Heh heh."_

"What did you do to all these people?"

Joker puts his hand on his breastbone again. _"Moi? Why must I always be the guilty party? Do I look like a **troublemaker** to you? I'm just an innocent clown, **honest!"**_ He dons a "polite" smile.

"Joker, when I find out what you're up to—"

 _"You'll what? Go on, tell me, nice and loud so the kids can hear!"_ The camera pans to a small child audience, none more than ten years old. They seem unharmed. Joker whimsically dances over to them. He boops one of them on the nose. _"See, what did I say? I told you I'd have a treat for you all. You get to see Poison Ivy, saving lives… live! On TV! Isn't that wonderful!"_

Ivy's had enough. She begins to leave. _"Oh, not so fast. Kids, do you want to see **Batman?!"**_

"Yaaayy!" the kids cheer.

 _"What do you say, Ivy? Are ya gonna come for your favorite hero? Or are you going to save my helpless little laughing toys? Because you see, every single person I gassed with my **Joker venom** is gonna laugh and **laugh** and **LAUGH** their little hearts out, 'til they can't laugh anymore. Doesn't that sound **fun,** kids? Heheheheheheh."_

Ivy bangs both her fists on a nearby table in frustration, letting out a brief yell.

Joker takes out a timepiece. _"I'd say my…"_ Joker looks at the kids. _"…friends… have about two and a half hours left until they can't laugh anymore. You have that long to come get Batman. Toodle-oo!"_

The television turns itself off. Ivy opens the door, storms out, and slams it.

* * *

Ivy gets in her car and revs up her engine. She begins to back out when— ** _THUD!_**

"Haha! Ha-hahaha!"

Ivy sighs. She backs out of the lot. She heads back towards Finnigan's, where there is commotion on the street—multiple people laughing hysterically—dancing, running, jumping, throwing items, everything. There are others who are not infected, trying to hold back the ones who are. She gets out of the car and makes a call.

"Alright, Penny One. If I'm going to find a cure for this Joker venom, I'll need to find the source, somehow. Isolating the toxin AND getting to S.T.A.R. Labs is not something we have time for. Do you know how many people are infected, Penny One? I don't imagine the Joker took the time to setup a city-wide dispersal like the Scarecrow did."

 _"One moment."_ A pause of silence. _"Judging by aerial view, it seems your **entire route** direct to S.T.A.R. Labs is blocked off by the Joker's hapless victims. The highest concentrations are at the GCPD, Finnigan's… and S.T.A.R. Labs. I don't think he plans on making it easy for you."_

"Great. He's targeted the police _and_ S.T.A.R. Labs. Well, I'm at Finnigan's now." Ivy dodges a wooden chair being thrown above her head. "I'll… let you know when I find the toxin. I'm gonna need the quickest route to S.T.A.R. you can get me."

 _"Very well, Miss Isley."_

Ivy scans the room. She sees most of the windows broken. She sees smells the bloody stench of iron. She sees a man holding his face, glass shards embedded in his skin. _Focus, Pamela._ She sees a faint green mist pouring out of an air vent. Ivy carefully climbs onto the counter. She reaches up and—

She is immediately knocked over by an officer in uniform, hitting her head. Ivy holds her head in pain.

"Heh heh huh huh HUH HUH HUHH!" The cop's eyes are wide open. Sweat flows from every side of her face. "I'm a big fan. Ha ha ha! Can I… dance with you, please?"

Ivy calls vines to grab the officer and peers into the vent. Sure enough, there's a large diffuser deep inside.

/

Ivy is back on the road.

 _"Take a right at Fourth Avenue."_

Ivy swings a right at thirty miles per hour and comes to a sudden stop, her tires loudly screeching. She feels as if the vehicle nearly tipped over.

"Ah, ah, AHAHAHAAA!"

Ivy's heart starts pounding at twice her normal speed. She takes a deep breath and beeps her horn.

"Please, _please_ move," she says to herself.

"I just wanted you to see those two dancing up there. Heheheh," a teenage boy tells her, pointing upwards.

 _"Miss Isley?"_

"One moment, Penny One."

There are no plants nearby, so she takes a seed out of a crevice in her suit and drops it on the ground. A gigantic vine as thick as the length of Ivy's electric car sprouts up. There are a pair of window washers hanging from an elevator platform five stories up.

"Oh my gosh, it's Poison Ivy! Hee hee hee! Dance to the music with us!"

Ivy climbs up the vine. "What… music?" She gets to the top and hears an alarm. There is a thick, gray haze in the building. And the stifling smell of burning upholstery.

 _"Miss Isley…?"_

Ivy looks at the window washers hanging on the platform. She glances quickly through the window again. She grabs each of them by one of their hands. "Alright, you two…" She pulls them up and tosses them off the platform. "Enjoy the ride." The vine catches them and creates a spiral pattern down its length for them to slide down. Ivy turns to the window and climbs onto the frame.

 _"Miss Isley, what's keeping you?"_

"Trouble, Penny One. There are people here who need me."

 _"Very well, Miss Isley. It is far from me to suggest you deny those in need of help, but do keep in mind you only have an estimated two hours and fifteen minutes left. Make every second count."_

Ivy disappears into the darkness. And beyond the hazy darkness is a fuzzy, orange glow awaiting her. The toxins and carbon dioxide in the air only empower her to move on.

"Ha ha ha ha! *Cough. Cough.* HA ha! ***COUGH*"**

Two hours, 12.6 minutes. Ivy listens for cries for help. She charges through every room.

Two hours, 5.1 minutes. The heat starts getting to Ivy. She has led an elderly man and two kids to safety. The stability of the building slowly deteriorates.

"Hahahahahaha!" Two hours, 2.5 minutes. "I'm going to get you out of here. I know you can't express it, but you're in desperate need of saving. I **will** get you out of here."

/

One hour, 59 minutes. The building collapses behind Ivy. Eight people saved in total. Everyone she has escorted out is coughing hard and heaving. One of them collapses. As Ivy gets back into her green-and-white car, a paramedic comes up to her. He gestures to Ivy at the others, who are coughing hard and laughing, paramedics holding oxygens masks to their faces.

"I commend what you did back there, Ivy. But they never once had control of their breathing through this whole ordeal. I can tell you right now, they're not going to make it. The best thing you can do right now is stop whoever did this."

Ivy stands dumbfounded in front of her car as the paramedic leaves. _Just two hours left, Pamela. Just keep moving._

* * *

One hour and 45 minutes remain. That's all the time left to synthesize **and** distribute a cure before Joker's victims die. AND save Bruce. Ivy opens the back door of S.T.A.R. Labs. She knows beforehand the sounds that will greet her. The same sounds she heard at Finnigan's, the GCPD, her entire route to S.T.A.R. Labs. She makes her way to the laboratories as fast as possible. Alisa Adams makes no hesitation to greet her.

"Alisa…?"

"As soon as everybody started laughing, I knew there was a nerve agent in the facility."

"How many others do we have?"

"Six."

"Six people and the two of us. And we have an hour and 45 minutes."

"Ready to earn that promotion, Dr. Isley?"

Ivy smiles.

/

Dr. Simmons laughs uncontrollably. Ivy nods and Alisa injects him with an opaque, orange liquid. He gasps loudly and passes out.

"Alisa…?"

"His vitals are stabilizing. But I can't make any promises."

"We have twenty minutes left. That will have to do."

"'That'll have to do?' You've gotta be kidding me, Isley. You barge in here with an hour-and-45-minute deadline and barely contribute anything to making the antidote. What have you been doing all this time?"

Ivy stretches out a hand, holding a purple flower resting in her palm. She waves her other hand in a circular motion over it. The flower underneath straightens up from a bent position, its head also rising to face straight up. The petals open halfway. Ivy produces a minimally-filled spray bottle half the size of her hand and sprays it into the center of the flower.

"The location of Joker's victims was a very distinct path between the GCPD and S.T.A.R. I believe I can trace the path right to his lair with the help of my _Begonia odorantur."_

Ivy turns and head for the door.

"Isley. Look after yourself. If the Joker really has Batman… be careful. There's no knowing what he might do."

* * *

The green-and-white little car kicks up dust and gravel on the silent, dark road. To Ivy's right is a long, metal fence and many darkened structures, including a Ferris wheel. It is an amusement park, an _abandoned_ amusement park. She stops her car at the main gate. {Geroldy Amusement Mile.} The gate lights up, every other light on, and then the other lights switch on, while the others turn off, all lighting up and darkening in alternating pairs. Music blares across the amusement park. The gate opens. Loudspeakers all across the park blare:

 _"WELCOME, esteemed guest! Now that you're here, the party can truly start. No need to worry; I'm releasing all the kids to play… now."_

About twenty kids scatter about the now-lively and lit-up park. Joker's men come out of the shadows and operate the rides and games. Ivy cautiously wanders out into the open. There is no reaction from Joker's henchmen, besides them eyeing her now and then.

 _"Oh, don't worry about the kids; they'll be **fine!** After all, now that they're gone, you and I can have a little alone time. Heheheheh."_

Ivy looks around. Arrow signs light up, showing Ivy the way. She follows the signs toward a large tent about two acres in area. There is a light-up sign above it of a finger pointing down.

 ** _"Really,_** _Poison Ivy. I can't believe it took you a full two and a half hours to figure out that a **clown** would be holed up waiting about in an **amusement park, of all places.** HA HA ha-ha-ha!"_

"I'm really getting sick of all this laughter," Ivy grumbles to herself.

 _"For crying out loud, **just** enter the tent!"_

Ivy hesitates for but a moment, then quickly enters. It is pitch-black. The entrance silently shuts behind her, leaving her blind. The only thing she can hear is the background music, barely audible. A path dimly lights beneath her, extending its light at a miserable pace slower than Ivy cares to walk at. Suddenly, a small room of red and white stripes dimly lights ahead of her. There is but a single thing in the room: Batman, tied to a chair, head slumping, possibly unconscious. His suit is terribly worn, and he has blood all over him. Ivy approaches and kneels in front of him. She lifts his head by his chin.

"Batman. Batman?!"

There's something about the chin. Something not quite right.

"Heh… heh… heh…" Batman manages to mutter.

The number 5, made up of five straight lines, like on an alarm clock. Red, like on an alarm clock. It is cast onto the red and white stripes of the wall, making it a minor frustration to read. The 5 becomes a 4. Ivy squints in confusion. 3. Ivy takes a step back and looks carefully at Batman's face. This man is NOT Batman. 2. Ivy takes several more steps back. 1. Ivy turns and begins to run—"

 ** _KA-POWW!_**

The fake Batman explodes in a violent fireball, hurling Ivy across to the other side of the room. She holds her head in pain. She is dizzy. The carnival music… distorts… fades… until she hears a ringing. Everything quickly becomes dark.

It all becomes dark.

* * *

 ** _WHAP!_** "AAaaaaahh!"

Ivy comes to, feeling her skull receiving a heavy strike. Her skin feels slightly wet at the point of contact. She barely opens her eyes—vision blurry—and sees Joker holding a large, metal wrench, which he just now tosses aside. And Joker… is naked. Ivy looks down at herself. She too is naked.

"Joker?! Oh, God. What the fu—"

"What? You didn't think I'd undress the two of you of your toys and gadgets and plant-monsters and not join in on the fun myself? Ha-HA!" Joker says, spreading his arms out wide.

Ivy looks to her left and also sees Batman, freshly wounded and also naked, save for his mask. She quickly looks back… at naked Joker. She quickly looks elsewhere.

"I'm afraid I have to be honest here…" Joker begins. "It's been rather boring without you, Ivy. You see, I cause chaos, make fun of Batsy for not being great enough to stop me, we fight, he wins, we play again. It's taken me four tries to finally get—"

Ivy looks at Batman. "Four tries? **_Four tries?_** You've fought this maniac three other times in a single year and he keeps getting free?!"

"Yes, well, now that I've won, teasing Batsy is about as fun as teasing a rock, which is actually pretty fun, but it becomes boring after a while, and—I think I find you more _expressive,_ which is great! But, enough with the intro. Because now, we can move on to the fun part!"

One of Joker's henchmen walks into the room. He's wearing striped suspenders and clown makeup.

"This is Cur. Say hi, Cur!"

"Yeah, yeah. Just get to the good part."

Joker scrunches his eyebrows and lips in annoyance. He bends towards Batman and Ivy, who are both cuffed to chairs, and gestures behind himself, at Cur.

"You see… this guy… just wants to get paid." Joker produces a gun. He loads it with a single bullet. "Batman…" He puts the gun in Batman's hand. "Cur, here, is scheduled to receive a payment of twenty thousand at 5:00 a.m. tomorrow. Unless… you let me live long enough to stop it. You wanna go home… you want to **end** me, stop me in my tracks… all you have to do is pull. That. Trigger."

"No," Batman says.

Joker nods and swipes the gun from Batman. He walks over to Ivy's chair. "Ivy…" He puts the gun in her hand. "You think Batsy knows a lick of what he's doing? You think he has a point… that I'm worth saving? That it somehow makes you better than me? Go on. Go ahead! Do it." Joker grins widely.

Ivy drops the gun. She takes a breath. "Joker…" Joker raises his eyebrows and nods gently. "This isn't the way. We are special to you. We _mean_ something to you…. Just let us go. Everything will be okay. There is **nothing** you want more than to let me go. Please… darling?"

Joker smiles a crooked smile. His gaze drifts to the side. "Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh. Disappointing. Not your answer, but your delivery. Heheheh! You… really are losing your touch. Last time, you had me **begging** you for a tiny little kiss… hahaha. You are just as boring as Batman. But…"

Joker walks over to pick up the gun. He turns around. Cur's eyes widen. **_BANG!_** Joker shoots him dead. "Somehow, that's exactly what I wanted to hear. I'm going to change that answer for you." Joker nods and smiles. He licks his lips. "You think you're so different… so much better? No. I can change that. All it takes… is one… bad… day. We… are gonna have… so. Much. Fun. Heh heh heh heh."

* * *

 ** _WHAP!_** "Hnng!" **_WHAP!_** "Unghh!" **_CRACK!_** "AAAAAHH!"

"What's the matter, **_bat_** -man? If jokes can't hurt you, maybe a _bat_ can? Hahahaha!"

The Joker whacks away at Batman with a metal bat, battering him and breaking his bones. He signals to two of his henchmen who are in the room.

"String her up by her thumbs. Her _green_ thumbs. Heheheheheh! Get it? Hahahahah! I'm gonna make Miss Green Bean into a piñata. Hmhmhmhmhm!"

/

Half an hour passes. Ivy's thumbs are severely dislocated. She knows she can break free of the ropes, but she has to keep it a secret from the Joker for as long as possible. When the moment is right, she'll break free. She'll save Bruce. She'll save the twenty kids enticed by the Joker.

Joker sighs contentedly. "That's good." He nods. "That will be enough for now."

Ivy laughs in mockery. "That… won't be nearly enough… Joker. You can never… win. Whatever it is you're planning… nature… always wins. Whatever havoc you cause… harmony will be restored. Evil and… abuse… are transitory."

"Heh heh heh. I understand. I really do. Batman and Ivy, the unbreakable duo. Are you really so self-absorbed that you think all this is about you? Ha ha hahahahah!" Joker turns to a pair of henchmen behind him. "Take them to the Show Room and bring them their clothes. I want them in their Sunday best. Excusez moi, Uncle Joker has to get dressed, too. Hehehahahahaha!"

/

Joker returns dressed in a purple suit with a white shirt underneath, and a pair of sunglasses with golden star-shaped sparkles on them. They are in a computer room now. There are screens behind Batman and Ivy. Joker lowers his glasses to eye the two of them directly. He sighs, then takes a seat and folds his hands in his lap.

"I have a problem, and you're going to help." Joker smiles a pleased smile.

"N-never," Batman gasps out.

"Oh, shut UP, you dumb, cliché, boring, not-so-intimidating hero. We had a special _bond,_ Batsy. You and me, a persisting fight of the ages for everyone to enjoy. And then, there was Ivy. It's so unfair, heheh! Two against one?! And… what business does _Ivy_ have getting in our… business, but you know what? She's definitely way more interesting than you, Batsy. Much livelier, _much_ less cliché… and yet, you still have a place in my heart, you know that?" Batman grumbles. "Heh. So… how can I resolve this, you see? When kids grow up and say they wanna be a superhero, who are they going to choose? You two are at odds with each other often enough… they _need_ you to stop me. One of you." Joker puts a single finger up. He mouths: "Just one."

With a gesture of the hand, a door opens behind him. The twenty kids are ushered in. They gasp, they cry, they hide their eyes from the bloody mess that is Batman and Ivy, tied up in chairs.

"Joker…" Ivy gasps to herself.

"ATTENTION, CHILDREN! NOW, FOR THE MOMENT WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR FOR THE PAST SEVERAL HOURS… THE TIME HAS FINALLY COME! I told you, you would get to meet your favorite heroes. And now… it's time for you to choose!" Joker lifts his hands up to the height of his head, the fingertips of an open palm facing each hero. "You wanna do a good thing and save the city, kids? Who's your favorite superhero? Who do you think is right for the city: Batman… or Poison Ivy? But you better think hard, 'cause the **losing hero…** will meet their **untimely demise.** AHA HA HA HA HA HA!"

"JOKER, YOU **DEVIL!",** Ivy screams.

"Ha ha hahahahaha!" The Joker continues laughing, his amusement enduring to no end.

"YOU THINK YOU… CAN TRAUMITIZE INNOCENT CHILDREN FOR YOUR OWN… ENJOYMENT? YOU THINK YOU CAN TERRORIZE THE CITY TIME… AFTER TIME TO PUT… ON SOME GRAND SHOW? YOU… think… you can just walk out of Arkham… AGAIN… AGAIN…" Ivy is shaking with anger. She looks to her left, behind Joker. "This is on you, Batman. This is your… fault. The Joker just comes and goes as he pleases and the… only thing you care about is keeping your hands c-clean… because of **one mistake** nine years ago?"

"It's about much more than that, Ivy."

"Oh, I'm sure it is. Harvey was right… Batman. **You are a hypocrite."**

Ivy breaks out of her restraints and stands up. She tries to swipe at Joker's face with her nails, but her ankle fails her, and she stumbles.

"Ivy!" Batman yells.

"EVERYBODY OUT!" Joker yells aloud to his henchman, possibly to the children as well.

Batman pushes his chair over and lands hard on his side. He wearily picks a nail out of the floorboards to cut the ropes with. The kids leave the room and scatter.

One of Joker's henchmen swings the metal bat at Ivy. She follows its momentum and yanks it out of his hand. She rubs her bloodied hand against his cheek. The man screams in pain at the poisonous contact. The second henchman draws a gun, but Batman trips him and uses his own gun to pistol whip him unconscious. Meanwhile, the Joker flees.

Ivy leans against the wall closest to the door, chest heaving. She exchanges looks with Batman, who is on the floor, his eyes glaring at her in judgement.

"The moment… I step outside… Bruce, I will be back in my domain. The Joker… _cannot_ escape. He will **never** escape… again."

"You know… hh… that I can't allow that."

Ivy coughs hard and spits out blood. She pants. She raises her head to meet with his eyes. He is already coming at her.

He tackles her. They both tumble to the ground in pain. They land on the floor with one arm each extended just far enough to reach the other's arm. Batman grabs her hand and starts to bend it backwards. Ivy grabs on with her second arm and swings her legs, wrapping her feet just below his elbow.

Batman squeezes his other arm in below his first to stop her from thrusting his arm wayward. She uses this opportunity to kick him in the face. Ivy rolls and gets up. Batman starts later than her.

Ivy picks up a gun and begins limping her way out into a hallway. Batman checks for his utility belt, but Joker wasn't kind enough to let him have it back when getting them dressed. He instead rips a computer mouse out of its port. He makes his way out into the hallways and swings the mouse like a bola. He launches it into the back of Ivy's knee. She collapses.

Ivy looks behind her and sees Batman approaching. She looks in front of her and sees that she dropped the gun. She starts crawling on the floor. Batman limps towards her, gaining on her. She gets closer to the gun, while he gets closer to the computer mouse. Ivy looks ahead of her. Batman snatches the mouse back, and Ivy grabs the gun. She rolls onto her back and points the gun at him. She then stands up.

"You're… not going to shoot me, Pamela."

"You men, you're all… the same. Two-Face, Joker… Professor Pyg. BUT YOU. You think you're… better…. Is this really better? You'll really let him do this… hh… again?"

"This… is… not the way," Batman responds in gasps.

"Please… he's… getting away."

Ivy swings the gun to her other side to gesture as she begs him to let her leave for him. Batman launches the mouse at her, such that it catches on her other arm. The cord digs deep into one of her cuts, and she drops the gun. She brings her first arm in to regard her aggravated wound. She pulls hard as the cord disintegrates away.

The motion pulls Batman in, causing him to stumble. He uses the momentum and grabs her clean arm to stop his fall. They fall down together. Batman pins her down with his knees on either side of her waist. He knows they're both weak. He can't risk either of them suffering further injury. He grabs hold of her neck with both hands and diligently pushes down as a makeshift choke hold to try to get her to pass out.

Ivy struggles to lift Batman's hands off her neck, so she slams her palms onto Batman's ears. Batman immediately loses his hold over her, so Ivy turns the tables and positions herself on top.

"It's over… Bruce. I've… hh… hh… won. Please… I… must…"

Batman screams in agony. "P-Pamela…"

"No… Bruce. Hh…. It's over."

"P… po…. No… poison. P-poison…" He grunts softly, then blacks out.

Ivy looks down and sees her blood dripping onto him. All goes silent.

"Bruce?! Bruce… Bruce…!"

There is no answer. In the silence, the children peer out of a nearby room. **They're safe.** But several thoughts attempt to form in Ivy's mind as she's processing what's going on and what to do next. They both need help. But… the Joker…? Ivy breathes a short sigh. It is no contest. She searches the nearby rooms for a phone.

 _"Miss Isley? Are you two alright? I was afraid the Joker had gotten to you, too…. Are you alright…? Please answer."_

"Penny One. Send the Batmobile to Geroldy Amusement Mile. ASAP."

She hangs up the phone. "Oh, Bruce." She sobs uncontrollably.

* * *

Alfred anxiously anticipates the Batmobile's arrival. As soon as it parks in its space, the door opens, releasing plumes of smoke.

"Master Bruce! Miss Isley!"

Alfred runs to the Batmobile as fast as he can, but he coughs on the vapors. He quickly equips a gas mask and searches inside. He sees Batman badly beaten and unconscious, but also wearing a mask. Ivy is nowhere to be found.

"Master Bruce, can you hear me? Master Bruce?"

The smoke is coming from green stains in the car. Ivy was in there, and in bad shape, too. He goes to the Batcomputer to get to the wired phone and attempts to call Ivy, but there is no answer. He frantically checks the Batmobile for a note and finally finds one.

{Bruce is poisoned, please save him. You should still have the antidote from the last time this happened. I'm sorry. Good-bye, Alfred.}

\- End Chapter 9 -


	10. In Tooth and Claw

Batman and Ivy

Finale: "In Tooth and Claw"

* * *

 **A/N: Whew, that last chapter was pretty intense, huh? I still can't believe I put something as violent as Batman ripping a computer mouse out of its port in the chapter. *Shudders.* By the way, sorry for the delay. I've gotten pretty lazy about writing, so I decided to adhere to a schedule again. Release dates will be on my profile page.**

* * *

\- Two months later, somewhere south of the equator -

The soft, warm light of the morning illuminates a motel room, casting gentle shadows across a desk, a chair, and a bed. _Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune_ plays loudly on the desk, while the shower runs in the bathroom. Pamela hums sweetly to the tune.

 _Several broken bones, my legs, one of my arms, two cracked ribs, two dislocated thumbs, two dislocated shoulders, a twisted ankle, and multiple bruises and gashes in my skin._ Pamela gently rubs her currently smooth, unmarred skin. _It feels good to be whole in health again._ Her gaze drifts to the corner of the bathtub as she remembers Bruce suffered the same. She knows he's not entirely healed yet. _When I was released from the hospital, the doctor said I should take some time off and relax for a week before going back to work._ Pamela inhales deeply (she has a few rare flowers in the bathroom with her).

"I needed to reconnect with nature, reconnect with _you."_ Pamela smiles as her favorite part of the song plays. "Yes, it has been hard to find time to travel while I was working with Bruce. But now, I'm here. My lovely _Thespesia grandiflora._ Perhaps I should be thankful to the Joker in a way, that I was here to find you. Or to Woodrue, for the means of communicating with you. Nature is a much less stressful world than the big city."

Pamela smells something somewhat spicy and mellow. Just a hint, something an average human wouldn't notice. Almost like garlic. She knows what it is. It smells like a certain kind of chemical fertilizer. While she doesn't dislike the rich nutrients present in fertilizer (thank God it's absent of manure), something's not right if that's what's in her shower water….

* * *

"Master Bruce."

A chair electrically wheels its way in the direction of the voice. "I'm still tracking her, Alfred."

"You know in your condition, you can't stop her alone."

Bruce looks up from his wheelchair. "Gotham is in serious danger."

/

Pamela makes her way to the region's water treatment facility to complain to the manager. He says he's already gotten dozens of complaints and brushes her off. Despite the abhorrent situation before her, Pamela is confident it will be taken care of. What concerns her more is the surprising concentration level of the chemicals in the region's water. All over the region, there is fertilizer runoff, drowning plants in an overdose of growth chemicals and poisoning them, the chemicals then also poisoning the rivers. The biggest offender of all: Axis Chemicals. Spewing hundreds of gallons of chemicals into the environment, adversely affecting all life in the region.

She walks up to the plant, which is surrounded by yellowed and dying grasses. The stone walkway and the steps have dark smears. She asks to speak to someone in charge. Two men come out to meet her.

"I hope you realize what you're doing to the environment. I'm sure there are many companies and people that depend on your products, but you can't just dump this stuff wherever you want."

"Who are you? You _gringa?_ Go away, this is a business."

"Do you know that if the world can't congregate to put a plan together to fight climate change by the end of 2020, there's no going back?"

"Listen, _forastero_. I don't have time for American politics. This is my job."

"Oh, so all you care about is money."

The man begins walking away. "We all need money." He continues leaving and makes a comment to the other man as he gets near the door. "Esta gringa estúpida." The pair laughs softly. Pamela looks at the ground… at the dead grass… in frustration.

/

Ivy pulls on a pair of gardening gloves, completing an outfit for herself. With it, she also wears her old Poison Ivy mask and what would be a stealthy black sweat suit if it weren't covered in leaves. Though, perhaps the ensamble would be better concealed outdoors.

A tall, but thin vine grows itself up to one of the windows. Off it drops the disguised Pamela Isley. She looks across the multiple floors and sees the entire area cluttered with machinery from top to bottom. She targets some of the centrifuges and cooling tanks. Out of her leafy sweatsuit grows long and thick vines powerful enough to crush the machinery from the inside out. After that, she destroys the power grid in several places for good measure.

By the time morning comes, any crew that comes to maintain the operation of the facility is now too late. The workers marvel with each other in confusion. Surely the plant was sabotaged, but what could possibly destroy in such a swift and powerful manner, and why? The work of Pamela Isley is now done.

* * *

"This is getting out of hand, Alfred."

"My word, look at all the damage she's caused in just the past week!"

"She's an international terrorist, Alfred."

"Master Bruce, I know you don't like it, but you have to. There's only so much you can do in your current condition."

/

Pamela Isley struts her way through Star Labs, greeting everyone in the halls without stopping for small talk. She drops off a health-conscious lunch at the break room and makes her way to the botanical labs.

"Hi, Ginger and Meredith! My, how you've grown!" she says to the plants beside the doorway.

"Isley, you're back! I heard about Joker. Are you alright?" Alisa asks.

In the back of Pamela's mind flashes a grinning face, a skittish, brute shadow whacking away at her friend and her, destroying the very splendor of heroism.

"I missed work," she blurts.

The composed woman of color smiles a smile of somewhat irked reverence toward Pamela. "You do love your Monday mornings. Don't tell me you spent your recovery time working." Pamela begins to stutter, failing to come up with something to say. Alisa sighs. "Of course. Who am I talking to?"

"It's just… big… and small businesses and their pollution, and their _total_ disregard for the environment…"

"Mm-hm. You can't expect to save the world in a day."

"I know." Alisa gives Pamela a skeptical look. _"I know."_ Pamela reiterates.

Alisa chuckles. "What did you do?"

"There was this company in South America: Axis Chemicals. I shut them down. They were destroying the ecosystem and the community, and I couldn't let that happen."

"So… what? You had the local government interfere?"

Pamela shrugs the idea off with her shoulders. **"I** interfered. A factory can't work without its equipment in working order."

Alisa is shocked speechless for a bit before she can think of something to say. "That's—what about the people who work there? Their jobs?"

Pamela looks at Alisa with absolute confusion. "They… there's other ways to make money. It's not like anyone got hurt. What's the matter with you, Alisa? Now come on, I'm dying to get back to work."

Pamela walks past a security camera and caresses her plants, talking to them, admonishing them, encouraging them. Alisa works in silence for the rest of her shift.

* * *

Alfred calls Pamela's cell one more time. He's standing by the wall clock in Wayne Manor that is the entrance to the Batcave. Pamela enters the room and walks past without greeting him. She arrives in the Batcave.

"What's it going to be this time, Bruce? Another reprimand? Look, I'm sorry what happened to you two months ago. And I'm sorry we don't see eye to eye. I know I'm not the hero you want me to be."

"This is not about that." Bruce comes out of the shadows in a wheelchair.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but shouldn't you be in a full-body cast right now?"

"Wayne Biotech has its uses. There's a lot of prototypical equipment I get to use before it goes into development."

"Of course. You have a healing drug for yourself. Otherwise, how could you save a city all on your own?"

"And you believe you can save the _planet_ on your own. I guess we're both delusional."

"You need me." Pamela smirks.

"There's someone in Gotham right now who is extremely dangerous. She has a tendency to rob big cities all over the globe, but especially in America."

"So, she's a thief, like Catwoman? I heard she's on parole, by the way. Maybe you two could date."

"It takes _months_ for the local governments to recuperate. New York, Chicago, Star City, London. And that's just to name a few. She usually takes hostages, demands a ransom or valuable goods, then destroys everything. Red Claw has murdered **hundreds** of innocent people."

"So… _Red Claw."_

"I'm going to bring you up to speed on **everything** you need to know. Knowledge is power and we can't stop her without it. I've analyzed all her previous attacks, her primary targets, her methods, and you're going to commit it all to memory. You have until 17:30."

"17:30? That's not even half an hour from now."

"Checkmate is deployed in Gotham right now following leads on Red Claw. Whatever's happening is happening **tonight.** And I'm not about to let a _war_ break out in my city."

"Checkmate, Bruce?"

"They're a division of the U.S. government that has international ties. Currently run by Amanda Waller. But they are not your concern. The only thing I need you focused on is stopping Red Claw quickly, **before** this becomes a complicated mess, **before** any other parties interfere."

"No pressure or anything."

"I will be assisting you from the Batcave. But I'm going to need 110 percent from you."

Pamela takes a deep breath. "I won't let you down, Bruce."

Bruce does not respond to her promise. They get to work immediately.

* * *

A pair of Checkmate agents pass by in a white van. Elsewhere, a pair of men in trench coats slink to an electrical panel in front of the Gotham Museum of Antiquities and disables it. Inside, the lights go out.

"What the hell?" a security guard blurts before being knocked out from behind by another security guard.

Iron gates in the hallways come down. Iron gates at all the exits, too.

"All emergency exits are unyielding?" Red Claw checks. One of the thugs nods.

Outside, at the top of the structure, thugs climb in through the windows. But they do not go unseen. A Bat-drone detects the anomalous activity from three miles away.

Men with trench coats and flashlights walk through the staff areas of the museum. And behind them, out of the shadows appears a muscular Russian woman in red with a white streak in her hair and a red claw tattoo on her shoulder.

"Drop down and plant the explosives. I want no corner of the exhibit unscorched."

A bat gliding in the night sky is seen on the reflection of a Checkmate agent's sunglasses. He looks up and sees the drone approach the museum. A vine promptly creeps up one of the windows.

/

Red Claw and her henchmen drop down on ropes amid a large, brightly-lit three-story area occupied by about forty visitors. Security personnel draw their weapons, but they are taken out with deadly precision before the thugs even finish touching down. The crowd bursts in screams.

"I have come to rid Gotham of its most valuable possessions." Red Claw signals as the men start smashing glass and taking antiquities. She nods at another thug. "Of course, I do not envy the sacrifice I require of you to atone for Gotham's sins." The thug begins planting one of several C4 explosives.

 _ **SMASH!**_ A giant, purple, bulbous flower droops down from the window and opens, bringing forth Poison Ivy. Several vines loom overhead and snatch the explosives away, taking them to a safer location outside.

" _I can use my Bat-drone to defuse the bombs. Also, seven o' clock, third floor."_

A vine snatches an assault rifle from the thug before slapping him in the side of the head, flinging him several feet and knocking him out. Ivy sees more thugs with assault rifles and raises a thick wall of foliage in defense, which bursts through the floor. Smoke grenades fly in from the windows, blocking Ivy off from their view.

" _You're covered. Go for Red Claw."_

Ivy heads straight for her when a security gate blows open, admitting a couple of squads of Checkmate agents.

" _I want Red Claw taken out_ _ **ASAP!"**_ a female voice orders over radio.

A firefight breaks out. Red Claw orders one of her thugs to aim an RPG above the agents' entryway. The grenade is launched and an upper level collapses on top of them, leaving two remaining agents out in the open to be gunned down. Red Claw searches the chamber.

"How could Checkmate have ascertained our target so quickly?" Red Claw ponders. "Open fire on **everyone** here. Any one of them could be a Checkmate agent."

The thugs fire on upon the crowd. Ivy screams in protest, while attempting to take out the gunmen. Batman launches more smoke grenades. One of the forty visitors in the crowd draws a weapon and is immediately taken out by a gunman on the top level.

"Quickly, direct your attention to every possible access point. Windows and vents, too!" Red Claw orders. "They are not coming in." She keeps an eye on Ivy as she is approached by her.

They both hear the distinct sound of bone and flesh being pierced. One of the thug's helmets flies right off, containing a fresh, new hole in it; the owner of the helmet falls immediately after. Another one falls. Then another. On a building three hundred feet away, there is a sniper wearing a white mask with a red eyepiece over the right eye. Red Claw quickly makes her way to an area safe from the shooter, Ivy pursuing.

Red Claw throws a pair of cross punches, both of which Ivy blocks. Ivy blows a green mist into Red Claw's face, causing her to cough. Ivy kicks Red Claw in the stomach, causing her to fall backwards. Red Claw draws a submachine gun and fires at Ivy. Ivy dodges and wraps a vine around the gun, snatching it out of her hands. She punches Red Claw square in the bridge of the nose and wraps a vine around her throat.

"Why do they call us terrorists, who exist as heroes to our cause?" Red Claw struggles to ask. "Your 'Land of Liberty' is a threat to my world. A society corrupted by greed. Barbarians who torture on my kind. I _take_ for my people." Amanda Waller enters the chamber. "You lousy Americans, people like _her."_

Waller speaks up. "One of my _assets_ has cleared the room of all hostiles. This woman has murdered hundreds. I think you know what has to be done. I'll not waste time with you. If you won't take care of Red Claw, I'll just remove her now."

Ivy witnessed Red Claw and her men firing into the crowd. She remembers the trials the Joker had put her through. What he did to her, Bruce, the children. The bombings, the trees. Two-Face and Firefly working together and burning down City Hall. Scarecrow bringing all of Gotham to its knees. What would she have to gain from saving Red Claw from someone like Waller? What does anyone have to gain by sparing monsters like these? It's monsters that doom the planet with their recklessness. Violence. Apathy towards the workings of the environment, apathy towards society.

Ivy pulls Red Claw nearer to her, increasing her grip on the vine around her neck. Encouraging thorns to pierce her vulnerable flesh. The _**only**_ way to cultivate peace, or achieve any goal, solve any problem, scientific or otherwise, is to eliminate the problem.

 _ **SNAP!**_

/

Batman finishes defusing the last bomb. He doesn't hear anymore gunfire. He can only hope the right side won.

" _Ivy. Come in, Ivy. What's going on in there?"_ The Bat-drone flies back into the museum chamber. He sees the Russian woman's body lie lifeless, her neck ensnared in Ivy's vines, as Ivy releases her and drops her to the ground. _"Ivy…"_

"Save it, Batman. Letting these killers get away with their lives is almost as bad as killing innocent people ourselves. I've always wanted to save the planet. I've always wanted to turn a city as corrupt and filthy as Gotham into a better place.

" _ **What you've done is murder!"**_

"I don't care what you think of me anymore, Batman. If you wish to stick to your **damn** code, fine. I'm not coming back to you this time. I'm not _apologizing_ for doing the right thing. I have all the training I need from you, anyway. **Thank you."**

Ivy turns and walks away. Waller has a crew come in to take care of the bodies.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Pamela brings Alisa into one of the labs to talk to her in private.

"Right now, Batman seems to be obsessing over these Checkmate people like he obsesses over supervillains. I swear, Alisa, anyone who doesn't operate the exact same way he does is subject to intense scrutiny."

"All I've ever heard of Batman is how he saves the day. It's fascinating to see him from the point of view of someone working so closely with him."

"No, not _working._ Not anymore," Pamela clarifies. "We've had this same fight before, but **this** time, I'm standing my ground. I'm _fighting_ for what's right. People like Joker deserve to be killed. I don't care what he thinks, I'm doing something about it. I'm taking action. I'm going to go straight into Arkham and kill Two-Face, Scarecrow, and Firefly. And I'm going to make damn sure Joker knows he's next."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Alisa seems stunned. "Hey, look. I totally agree with you, but I don't know, isn't that going a little far? Ever since you fought the Joker again, you've been different. What did he do, Isley?"

"Do you **remember** what Scarecrow did to this city?" Alisa's drop eyes down for a moment. "You know I'm right, don't you?" Pamela asks her.

Alisa shakes her head. "I'm a scientist. How do I know what's best for a city's moral wellbeing? I know that even though everything we experienced that day wasn't real, Scarecrow's toxin can do a lot of long-term damage to people's psyche. Maybe you're right, but I'd strongly urge against hunting criminals down like that. There has to be a better way."

"A better way." Pamela nods and briefly smiles sarcastically. "Now, you sound just like him." Pamela starts toward the exit. She trails her fingers along the stems of the plants nearby. "Look at these humans," she says to one of them. "So afraid to take action. Afraid to put an end to the evils that plague our world. Maybe no one else agrees with me, but I'm never alone. I fight for our way. A _better_ way."

Alisa watches as Pamela passes all the plants and then the security camera before the door. Pamela seems to have a furious look on her face. Alisa logs onto a computer and visits the Arkham website. She looks back at where Pamela was moments ago and ruminates.

* * *

Down in the Batcave, Alfred brings a meal down to Bruce.

"I'm going to need you to fill the Batwing with as much herbicide as it'll hold."

Alfred raises an eyebrow. "Sir? I understand your concern that Miss Isley may behave recklessly, but now that Checkmate is in Gotham, I would have presumed you would take the opportunity to investigate Miss Waller."

"Prep the Batwing, Alfred. Whatever happens next, I will be ready for her."

/

Poison Ivy drives through the gates of Arkham and parks in front of Intensive Treatment. Before leaving her car, she snatches her purse off the seat next to her. She sees the guards on either side of the door. Before approaching, she sprays herself with pheromones. She will need persuasion on her side if she is to do what must be done—something she hasn't had much luck with lately. She walks up to them.

"You and Batman working a case?"

"There is no me and Batman."

"In any case, I'll go ahead and tell 'em you're coming."

"Oh, that won't be necessary." A puff of purple mist escapes Ivy's lips as she speaks. "I need to get to the maximum-security wing. And… let's keep this _our_ little secret," she says as she trails her fingers along one of the guard's chins.

/

The guard goes into the security office and approaches the guards at the monitors connected to the security cameras. He plucks a small bottle from his pocket and sprays the other guards with it. They fall unconscious immediately. Poison Ivy's handiwork. He disables the cameras and informs Ivy. She dazes every guard she passes with her pheromone trick. At last, she reaches the cells.

Two-Face mutters to himself as he paces in his cell… to the right… and to the left. He turns to find Poison Ivy leaning on the wall in front of the cell. She opens the door and walks in.

"You here to make sure I keep Bruce's little secret?"

"Where are they keeping Firefly?"

"So, that's what this is about." Ivy patiently waits for her answer. "You won't find him here. And now that Blackgate is gone, I couldn't tell you even if I _did_ decide I want to."

"You've got a lot to answer for. Say good-bye to Two-Face for me, Harvey." Ivy approaches the prisoner.

/

Killer Croc sits in the corner of his cell nearest to the door. He hears commotion: Thudding, and a man screaming. He peeks out of the barred window of his cell door to see Ivy leaving Two-Face's cell, heading for Scarecrow's. Killer Croc grins widely as he watches in anticipation. But before she can get to Scarecrow, Dr. Strange stops her.

"Pamela, what is the meaning of this?"

Ivy stops dead in her tracks, unprepared for his appearance. She lets out a sigh. "Some of these people are mass murderers, serial killers. They're a danger to society."

"That is precisely why we are keeping them here!"

"It's not enough! It's _never_ enough! They always escape."

"Our patients at Arkham are here to be rehabilitated. They are **patients.** They are **helpless.** And they are under the protection of the law. You don't get to decide who lives and who dies. That… was _Harvey Dent._ He was very dear to many and he was very important to everyone who stands for the law. He was a good friend of Commissioner Gordon. I'm sure he would have been a good friend of Batman. It puzzles me why he was so obsessed with capturing you and Batman. Now, we may never know the maladjusted thoughts that plagued his mind. If we cured Two-Face, what more could we achieve to make Gotham a better place?"

"I'm sorry, but you're wrong."

Ivy's security guard hits Strange in the back of the head. He nods at her. She nods back. The guard leaves and Ivy kicks Scarecrow's cell door open. She sees him lying on the floor, face-down. One of his hands is visible. It's pale and lifeless. She turns his head to see darkened skin around the eyes and blood smeared across the corner of his lips. It's _not_ Jonathan Crane. It's _not_ Scarecrow.

The door slams shut behind her. The lights in the room go out in an instant. She sees the dark, lanky figure, his eyes dimly illuminated behind a gas mask. There is a hissing sound as plumes of some sort of smoke come out of a hose in his hand. She begins choking.

"I was prepared for you, Poison Ivy. There is not a soul on this planet who cannot be controlled by **fear."** Scarecrow leans in towards Ivy as he says this. They both look at the body on the floor. "It merely took pulling the right strings to get him to do my bidding." He grabs one of her arms and pulls it behind her back as he moves around her. He speaks in her ear.

"What do you fear, Poison Ivy? Do you fear the world devolving into chaos day by day? Does it hurt knowing that the very citizens of Gotham cause more harm than people like me? That it's their fault devils can thrive by manipulating the system?" He moves his head to her other ear. "Are you afraid that Batman perpetuates immorality, that he allows the balance of nature to be defiled?"

"I'm not Batman."

She jerks her head back, butting him in the face. Scarecrow readjusts the aim of his hose. She spits in his goggles. Scarecrow stumbles back as the poison blocks his view and dares to penetrate his mask. Ivy grabs the hose and his mask. She rips the mask off and plunges the hose in his face. She drags him to the door and opens it to breath in some fresh air. She continues to hold the hose to his face until he suffocates. She lets go of his body. His head thuds onto the floor.

Ivy leaves the room. She is dizzy from the herbicide, but triumphant. The entire cell block bursts into commotion, a lot of which are cheers. She makes haste to leave the building.

A security guard checks for eavesdroppers, then puts his watch up to his mouth.

"I saw Poison Ivy. She just killed Scarecrow."

\- The man pauses for a response.

"I'm sure ol' Croc was happy about that one."

"Yeah." The guard nods solemnly. "Harvey, too."

"What do you mean, you'll handle it? Are you sure about this, sir?"

"Well, then… she's all yours."

/

Ivy hears the alarms go off. She knows she's in trouble. She knows it's different this time. There won't be anyone to side with her. But it doesn't matter. They may not view her as a hero, but she's a hero nonetheless. She's too far gone by the time anyone can stop her.

She drops by her home to pack up some things. She sees the red and blue lights before she sees her house.

 _Of course! Damn it, Pamela! While you were busy obeying the rules of the road, the cops were running reds! But that means—_

Ivy sees the black silhouette of a Bat crossing the sky.

 _No. It can't be!_

She backs up, turns around, and accelerates. The silhouette chases her. She's being hunted by her ex-mentor. And the police. And this time, she's out of excuses. She leaves the suburbs and goes back to the city as soon as possible, ignoring traffic. The higher the buildings, the less room it leaves for him to maneuver. She turns a corner into a tight alleyway. She quickly gets out and rides a vine to one of the top corners of a six-story building and hides behind a billboard.

The whirring of engines grow louder and she feels intense winds. She thinks of running, but a searchlight illuminates her. The craft lands. Ivy's heartbeat quickens. She knows not what to expect. But Bruce is in a wheelchair. What could he possibly—

A back panel opens and a ramp lowers. He is dimly illuminated from behind as he rides down the ramp. He's obviously no match for her. But that's not the real issue, is it? Why does she fear him now more than ever? He stops only a couple of feet in front of her. He says one word.

"Pamela."

Ivy waits for him to say more. She nods. "You want me to turn myself in."

"You're an outlaw now."

"And you've come to turn me over to the police."

Bruce doesn't acknowledge her question in the slightest. He waits but a second and responds with "You killed my friend."

Ivy's eyes widen. _**Two-Face.**_ Her eyes dart to nowhere in particular. She stands in silence in front of him. Her mouth opens a bit, but nothing comes out. Ivy looks at Bruce in astonishment.

"I'm not the hero anymore, am I?"

"You can be." Bruce says to her.

"No… I can't. I'm just a monster. I'm just like the rest of them." Ivy shakes her head. "I never saw it until now."

Bruce leans forward in his chair. "You're **not** like the rest of them. Alfred and I both knew you had the potential to do a lot of harm. But I always knew you were a hero from the very start."

Ivy shakes her head. "No. **No.** Before I came and asked to join you on that rooftop, I was ready to kill a man. A man whose greed was harming the environment. I just—if I hadn't seen you on the news that day, I would have turned out for the worst, and I know it. I'm a failure of a hero."

"Pamela." She lifts her head to look at him. "Do you trust me?"

Later that hour, the two of them board the Batwing.

* * *

"Pamela Lillian Isley, what is your plea?"

Pamela looks behind her into the court and sees her Mom sitting among the spectators. She lowers her head in shame before once again facing the front.

"Guilty."

Judge Vargas picks up the gavel. "Now, despite your significant service to the community, I'm afraid I have no choice but to sentence you to four years in a state prison. Court is now—"

"Your Honor, wait!" the defense attorney cries. Alisa Adams and Dr. Strange enter the courtroom. "The defense has come into possession of new evidence and we urgently request Miss Isley be classified as temporarily insane."

Gasps arise from the jury and the spectators. Bruce throws his arms down onto the arm rests of his wheelchair in an attempt to get up.

"The court recognizes Doctor Strange. I assume this is a witness?"

Alisa Adams walks up to the bench. "I have on several occasions noted Pamela talking to plants, especially recently. As a biologist who specializes in plantlife, while plants do have the ability to communicate, they simply do not have the brain capacity to do so on a higher level, regardless of Pamela's metahuman abilities. I'm sorry, Pamela, but you haven't been the same after the Joker tortured you and Batman and I'm afraid it has affected you psychologically, to the point that it has affected your ability to make rational decisions."

"Thank you, Alisa. You may step down," the judge says. "Doctor Strange, I assume you are to give the defendant a proper psychological screening?"

"Now, just wait a minute!" Pamela objects. "I **don't** plead insanity. I'm **not** going to Arkham!"

"Unfortunately, Pamela…" Strange sighs. "Those who are insane often believe themselves not to be. You are not fit to make that decision. And actually, the results in my possession are _quite conclusive."_

* * *

A gate opens. An armored truck is let through. Out of it steps Ivy, accompanied by three guards. They lead her through the halls. The cameras watch her every step. From behind a security monitor, Dr. Strange watches. He is in some sort of basement with Clayface in captivity.

"Welcome back, Poison Ivy. We have much to discuss."

Ivy looks at the other patients' cells as she passes them. _What if all the criminals I help put away all decide they want to kill me?_

"Hey, Rick and Frankie, I'll take 'er from here. I know your shifts are officially over for the day."

"Thank you, friend."

"You're the best, Charlie."

The two of them leave. Charlie looks behind him. He looks at Ivy.

"This way."

He takes her through the hallway she had been through the previous night. A hallway of killers. He takes her to the singular, dark cell at the end of the hall, which is blackened and covered in mold. He opens the door and pushes her in. He wastes no time closing the door behind her. The atmosphere is moist and stinky. She can hear the quiet flow of water.

"You smell pretty."

The voice seems familiar, but all she can think of is—

"Only an animal with superficial values would say something like that," Ivy responds.

"Yeah, they call me an animal."

Behind her emerges a large figure. She sees the shadow on the wall, and despite recent feelings of worthlessness following her killings, she suddenly feels the overwhelming pang of certain doom. With all the willpower she can muster, she slowly turns to face him. Killer Croc. Tall, scaly, baring sharp teeth, and dripping water.

"I hear you used to be friends with the bat," he says to her.

Ivy tries to speak, but she can't.

"The others would eat a do-gooder like you for breakfast."

"…But you won't, because I'm poisonous?"

Ivy tries to release pheromones from her pores. She doesn't know how effective it'll be.

"I also know you killed Scarecrow. He made my life hell ever since he came here. Some guy named Bruce said I should thank you in person. I didn't know you still had friends."

Ivy nearly faints from the chemical changes in her metahuman body as she went from absolutely terrified to intensely grateful.

"Bruce Wayne is the best friend I've ever had."

"Can Croc be your friend too?"

"Yes. Yes, I would like that."

\- End Batman and Ivy -

* * *

 **A/N:** **Congrats! You've made it to the end of the main story, but wait, there's more! There will be a new story coming soon called** _ **Arkham's Keepers.**_ **I'm not yet sure how many chapters it will have, but I'm sure you can guess what the main focus will be. Anyhow, thank you very much for reading. Please leave any thoughts and impressions in a review, cuz that would be awesome. Ciao!**


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